National Council for Archaeological Research
Le Conseil national de la recherche archéologique (CNRA) est une instance scientifique consultative nationale placée auprès du ministre de la Culture. Le Conseil est compétent pour les questions relatives aux recherches archéologiques sur l’ensemble du territoire français.
The missions of the CNRA
The Council shall be consulted on any question submitted to it by the Minister of Culture in the field of archaeology. It shall examine and propose any measures relating to the scientific study of the archaeological heritage and its inventory, to the publication and dissemination of the results of the research and to the protection, conservation and enhancement of that heritage.
Thus, it proposes to the Minister of Culture the general objectives of research, ensures a mission of scientific foresight, as well as the national harmonization of interregional programming. It emits notice on the principles, methods and standards of archaeology research.
The CNRA periodically prepares a report on the state of archaeological research, with a view to updating the national archaeological research programming.
It gives opinions on applications for approval or authorisation of operators of preventive archaeology.
The CNRA is also responsible for establishing a list of experts, representative of the different scientific fields of the archaeological discipline, to determine the value of certain objects discovered during excavations or incidentally, in case of disagreement in the implementation of procedures for the acquisition of these assets by the State.
The CNRA includes a specialized commission: the Underwater Operations Commission.
The tasks and functioning of the CNRA are governed by articles L.545-1 and R.545-1 to R.545-15 of the Heritage Code.
The composition of the CNRA
The CNRA has 34 members representing the diversity of institutions and professionals working in archaeology. It shall be chaired by the Minister for Culture or, in his absence, by a Vice-President designated by ministerial order. Anne Lehoërff, professor of universities, was reappointed as vice-president of the CNRA by order of 13 September 2020.
The next renewal of the CNRA will take place in 2024.
Members by right
Five representatives of the State are ex officio members:
• the Director General of Heritage and Architecture at the Ministry of Culture;
• a representative of the Directorate-General for Heritage and Architecture in the Ministry of Culture;
• a representative of the General Delegation for Transmission, Territories and Cultural Democracy at the Ministry of Culture;
• the Director General of Research and Innovation at the Ministry of Research, Higher Education and Innovation;
• Director General of Higher Education and Professional Integration at the Ministry of Research, Higher Education and Innovation.
The members appointed
Fifteen qualified individuals are appointed for four years, based on their scientific expertise in archaeology:
• Anne Lehoërff, University Professor, CY Cergy Paris University, Vice-President;
• Laure Barthet, Curator of Heritage, Director of the Saint-Raymond Museum in Toulouse;
• Marie Besse, University Professor, Head of the Prehistoric and Anthropological Archaeology Laboratory, University of Geneva;
• Fabien Blanc-Garidel, Chief Curator of Heritage, Head of the Archaeological Service Nice Côte d'Azur;
• Sébastien Bully, CNRS research officer, deputy director of UMR 6298 Artehis, Dijon;
• Diane Dusseaux, curator of heritage, director of the archaeological site of Lattara - Henri Prades Museum, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole;
• Marie-Agnès Gaidon-Bunuel, General Curator of Heritage, Assistant Regional Curator of Archaeology at the Drac Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes;
• Vincent Guichard, Director General of the Mont Beuvray European Archaeological Centre, Glux-en-Glenne;
• Olivier Lemercier, University Professor, Paul Valéry-Montpellier University 3;
• Véronique Matterne, Director of Research at the CNRS, National Museum of Natural History, Paris;
• François Meylan, Director of the Mont Beuvray agency, Archeodunum;
• Anne Pariente, Chief Curator of Heritage, Director of the City of Lyon’s Archaeological Service;
• Clément Paris, Operations Manager, Inrap Hauts-de-France;
• Marie-Cécile Truc, research engineer at Inrap Grand-Est-Nord, Reims;
• Michel Vaginay, General Curator of Heritage, Deputy Regional Director of Cultural Affairs of Occitanie, Head of Heritage and Architecture.
The elected members
Twelve members are elected for four years by the territorial commissions for archaeological research (CTRA):
• Stéphane Ardouin, Senior Conservation Officer, Archaeological Service of the City of Lyon, member of the CTRA Sud-Ouest;
• Benoît Bérard, University Professor, University of the West Indies, member of CTRA Outre-Mer;
• Sylvie Faravel, lecturer, University of Bordeaux-Montaigne, member of CTRA Ouest;
• Hélène Froquet-Uzel, research and research officer at Inrap, member of CTRA Ouest;
• Christophe Gilabert, Heritage Curator, Regional Archaeological Service of the Drac Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, member of the CTRA Centre-Nord;
• Jean-François Goret, Conservation Attaché, Department of Architectural History and Archaeology of the City of Paris, member of the CTRA Sud-Est;
• Séverine Hurard, research engineer at Inrap Île-de-France, member of CTRA Outre-Mer;
• Jenny Kaurin, Heritage Curator, Regional Archaeological Service of the Drac Burgundy-Franche-Comté, member of the CTRA Centre-Nord;
• Pierre Nouvel, university professor, University of Burgundy, member of CTRA Sud-Ouest;
• Rebecca Peake, Research Engineer at Inrap Île-de-France, member of CTRA Est;
• Laudine Robin, Senior Project Manager, Éveha Society, member of CTRA Sud-Est;
• Stéfan Tzortzis, Design Engineer, Regional Archaeology Department of the Drac Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, member of the CTRA Sud-Est.
When does the CNRA meet?
The CNRA meets in plenary four to five times a year. In 2022, Board plenary sessions are scheduled for February 2, April 6-7, June 8-9, October 5-6 and November 29-30.
The CNRA Underwater Operations Commission
The main task of the Committee on Submarine Operations (Cosm) is to define the national programmes for submarine research, in particular in connection with the annual report on the activities of the Department of Underwater and Underwater Archaeological Research (Drassm) submitted to him for advice.
The Submarine Operations Commission has 11 members. It is chaired by Anne Lehoërff, Vice-President of the CNRA. This commission, whose members are appointed for four years, was renewed in November 2021 (ministerial order of November 25, 2021).
Since its last renewal, the CNRA Underwater Operations Commission consists of:
- two ex officio members:
• the Director General of Heritage and Architecture at the Ministry of Culture;
• Anne Lehoërff, University Professor, CY Cergy Paris University, Vice-President of the CNRA.
- four qualified personalities:
• Fabien Blanc-Garidel, Chief Curator of Heritage, Head of the Archaeological Service Nice Côte d'Azur;
• Laure Barthet, Curator of Heritage, Director of the Saint-Raymond Museum in Toulouse;
• Benoît Devillers, Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography, University of Montpellier III;
• Sabrina Marlier, Conservation Attaché, Musée départemental Arles Antique.
- five members elected to the Territorial Commissions for Archaeological Research (CTRA) with a maritime façade:
• Benoît Bérard, University Professor, University of the West Indies, member of CTRA Outre-Mer;
• Sylvie Faravel, lecturer, University of Bordeaux-Montaigne, member of CTRA Ouest;
• Thibault Lachenal, researcher at the CNRS, UMR 5140 - Archaeology of Mediterranean societies, member of the CTRA Centre-Nord;
• Julien Ollivier, Design Engineer, Drac Occitanie Regional Archaeology Department, member of CTRA Sud-Est;
• Catherine Rigeade, Operations and Research Manager, Inrap Méditerranée, member of CTRA Sud-Ouest.
CNRA’s work in 2021
In 2021, the National Archaeological Research Council met five times. It held four plenary sessions (27 January, 7 and 8 April, 15 and 16 September, 3 and 4 November) and met for a thematic day dedicated to the fight against looting of archaeological property (30 June).
Partial replacement of the Council
The CNRA’s qualified personalities were appointed in September 2020. Members elected by the Territorial Commissions for Archaeological Research (CTRA) were appointed in the first quarter of 2021 following the renewal of the CTRA. These new members sat for the first time in the April 2021 plenary session. This session was an opportunity to elect the permanent delegation of the Council as well as two members (from among the qualified personalities) to sit on the Committee on Submarine Operations (Cosm).
In September, following an enlargement of the composition of the CNRA to ensure a better institutional representativeness, the Council welcomed two new members as qualified personalities, Selected from the museums of France preserving archaeological collections and public institutions working in the discipline.
Examination of files related to authorised and authorised preventive archaeology operators
A large part of the Council’s work has been devoted to monitoring preventive archaeology operators. The members of the CNRA have assessed fourteen requests for authorisation from previously approved local authority departments, nine requests for extension of authorisations already granted, an initial application for authorisation and an application for extension of authorisation from private operators.
The Council was regularly informed of the changes occurring within the archaeological services of local authorities and private operators. He was informed of five changes considered substantial.
At the end of 2021, all but two of the authorised operators of local authorities (to come in 2022) switched to the authorisation regime.
Areas of work of the Council
The main axis of work for 2022, mobilizing the members of the Council, is the updating of the national program of archaeological research, which will have to be finalized at the end of the year.
Several scientific presentations helped to enrich this in-depth reflection. They concerned:
– the fifth Inrap scientific and cultural season dedicated to the Neolithic;
– the recent discoveries of the Bronze Age deposits near Gannat in the Allier;
– the perspectives of the archaeology of Judaism in France;
– the methodology to build for an archaeology of disability.
For several years now, the Council has been involved in a number of other issues which it intends to examine further. These include reflections on the study and preservation of fragile environments (caves, coastlines, submerged environments, etc.), anthropobiological remains, looting of archaeological properties, etc.
The Committee on Submarine Operations drew up two opinions, validated by the CNRA in plenary session:
– The underwater archaeology of tomorrow: a major challenge for France;
- Accelerating the destruction of coastal archaeological sites and the destruction of contemporary wrecks: an essential awareness and adequate means to implement.
After the webinar Bibracte Dedicated to the professions of archaeology, organized by the sub-directorate of archaeology, the working group of the CNRA leading reflection on the question of training in the discipline presented several points of stage. The topic of training was also discussed during an exchange with Stéphane Bourdin, Scientific Assistant Director at the National Institute of Human and Social Sciences (InSHS, CNRS), on the questions posed by the diversity of the status of archaeologists in joint research units (UMR).
Topical issues addressed by the Council
The Council has regularly followed the construction stages by the iXblue Shipyard in La Ciotat of the new ship of the Department of Underwater and Underwater Archaeological Research (Drassm), theAlfred MerlinThis particularly innovative boat was christened by the Minister of Culture in Marseille on 2 July 2021.
The Council also validated an opinion, which was the result of lengthy discussions in 2020, entitled: The titanic construction site of the Seine-Nord-Europe canal: recommendations to guarantee the study and knowledge of a heritage destined to disappear.
Finally, the Council was led to question the situation of preventive archaeology and archaeological museums after a year and a half of the Covid-19 health crisis, and the topicality of the archaeological operations carried out in the territory of Nice Métropole following the bad weather at the end of 2020.
Thematic Retreat Archaeological plunder (June 30, 2021)
The problem of archaeological looting concerns the entire scientific community, the departments of the Ministry of Culture and more generally all the institutions responsible for the protection, conservation and development of archaeological heritage. This thematic day was an opportunity to take stock of:
– the legal framework and current administrative organisation of the fight against looting in France;
– the fight against archaeological looting conducted in the Paca region, a priority shared by the State services;
– the means of prevention implemented through the links established by INRAP with the National Gendarmerie to avoid archaeological looting and damage to heritage;
– Customs action in the fight against archaeological looting;
– the fight against archaeological looting in the Grand-Est region, illustrated by an extraordinary case;
– archaeological looting and its international problems, as observed by the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs;
– the question of the future of movable objects from looting within museums.
