The archaeological heritage of France is again in real danger and the archaeological community of the country, are forced to do less with less!

For decades, archaeologists have been warning about the irreparable damage caused to archaeological remains by development work. This shared heritage is non-renewable and only protected by a law in 2001, after strong mobilisations by the scientific community and public.

The law on preventive archaeology created a public service mission to “ensure the detection, conservation or safeguarding through scientific study of elements of the archaeological heritage affected or likely to be affected by public or private works”. It has made it possible to organise the public archaeology service:

the Regional Archaeology Services (SRA), decentralised from the Ministry of Culture which receive development projects and issue archaeological evaluations of developments to ensure the detection of sites, and if necessary, excavations to allow preservation by record;

– , the public service operator (National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP) created in 2002, is responsible for the detection, protection and conservation of heritage affected by land development work. Through digs, publications and seminars, it contributes to the teaching and dissemination of archaeological culture.

Today, the application of the 2001 law is called into question by a policy of underfunding and the logic of profitability within the State itself. These lead in particular to the questioning of scientific policies of archaeological prescription.

Give the money back!

Since 2001, the scheme has been financed by the Preventive Archaeology Tax (TAP) and the Preventive Archaeology Fee (RAP). But this money, which would make it possible to finance the missions up to the required level , is only partially paid back to archaeology, the rest going to the State budget. Thus, while TAP and RAP brought in nearly 191 million Euro in 2024, 48 million Euro are missing from the archaeological budget just over 25%!

The resources currently allocated to archaeology are no longer enough to meet the requirements of public service missions. However, if it was all paid and all the schemes finances were paid and dedicated to archaeology it would be more than enough!

Doing less with less!

This policy of underfunding is such that this year, Inrap only has the means to carry out two-thirds of its public service activity: queues are forming for developers to carry out evaluations, 400 colleagues regularly employed by Inrap on fixed-term contracts are unemployed and those who are retiring are not being replaced. In local authority services, the situation is not much better, with insufficient funding and deteriorating working conditions. What future for students in the discipline apart from great precariousness (apprenticeship contracts, internships, lifelong fixed-term contracts, etc.)?

It should be stated that currently only 6% of development projects give rise to any archaeological evaluation!

To add to this underfunding, lobbies try to dismiss the archaeology of major projects, such as the construction of data centers or other industries and infrastructures, under the pretext of “simplification” or “major national interest”. The bill “Simplification of economic life” which is currently being discussed in the National Assembly includes provisions that would prevent any archaeological diagnosis of major projects (Art. 15 of the bill).

However, there is nothing exceptional about these developments – and for the past 25 years French Archaeologists have cleared the way for the construction of motorway networks, high-speed lines, industrial zones and others that have swallowed up hundreds of thousands of hectares.

As part of this work, major sites have been documented by archaeologists, and this has allowed a complete revision of knowledge on the history and prehistory of France and the region, in just 20 years.

The destruction of our heritage is an irreversible act!

The petition authors ask for the following:

– Compliance with the law on preventive archaeology and the Heritage Code, with policies that are equal to the scientific, heritage and cultural challenges!

– The financing of public service missions in line with needs!

– The definition of strong public and cultural policies that go beyond economic issues and ensure a solid and sustainable social project where the conservation of ecological and historical heritage would not be sold off to meet short-term budgetary requirements!

Archaeological heritage is our shared heritage, let’s protect it all together. Whether in France, UK or across the world.

Fight for the past. and sign the petition – share it and do your bit to protect the fragile resource and the expert archaeologists who uncover it.

https://www.change.org/p/sauvons-le-patrimoine-arch%C3%A9ologique

Main image – François GOGLINS, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons