This book contains forty reviewed papers delivered at the International Congress on Molecular Biology and Cultural Heritage held in Seville, March 2003. It is divided in four parts, the first one presents the state-of-the-art and reviews molecular techniques applied to the study of microbial communities colonizing monuments and cultural heritage assets. Part two covers specific molecular techniques used in biodetereoration studies, part three includes an updated overview on on-going biodetereoration European Commission projects, and part four presents selected biodetereoration case studies from all over the world.

In recent years, a debate has arisen concerning the convenience of conserving subterranean cultural heritage and the necessary management models. There is often pressure from local authorities more interested in using the cultural heritage sites in order to develop the economy and the tourism industry rather than in the conservation of the cultural heritage itself. This has caused the managing bodies to reconsider reopening of sites closed due to serious conservation problems. This proceedings volume contains selected papers presented at the International Workshop "The Conservation of Subterranean Cultural Heritage", held 25-27 March 2014, in Seville, Spain. The workshop was organized by the Spanish Network of Science and Technology for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage (TechnoHeritage). The objective of the workshop was to promote an interdisciplinary forum for discussion of all aspects of the conservation of subterranean cultural heritage, providing at the same time an up-to-date, comprehensive overview of the most recent investigations. This book covers a wide range of scientific dimensions of the conservation and management of caves and necropolises. This state-of-the-art book will be of particular interest to archaeologists, historians, conservationists, cultural heritage specialists, architects, engineers and local and governmental policy-makers. Richly illustrated and including a 16-page full-colour plate section.

This collection includes thirty-six important recent works on the effects of pollutants on heritage sites, including thirty papers delivered to the Seville International Workshop on Air Pollution and Cultural Heritage in 2003, and six invited new additions. All papers have been written by a team of leading international contributors and are divided into five subject areas to cover the main topics of interest today.
This volume is aimed at archaeologists and molecular biologists as well as advanced students and researchers in the fields of biodeterioration, building materials, micro-organisms and cultural heritage.