Historic Environment Division (HED) within the Department for Communities (DfC) is the government lead on the historic environment of Northern Ireland. This document has been
prepared by HED, in partnership with the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA), the Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland (IAI) and National Museums Northern Ireland. It deals with the creation and care of archaeological archives, and how these activities will be
conducted in order to meet agreed professional standards in Northern Ireland.

DfC requires all licensed archaeological work in Northern Ireland to

• comply with professional standards
• be led by a competent and experienced archaeologist
• be conducted giving due regard to supporting professional guidance.

Download the publication here.

Professional Standards and Guidance

Professional standards provide a set of principles and define the required outcomes of an archaeological activity that must be met. The supporting guidance provides practical advice
on how those outcomes should be achieved, in accordance with current good practice.

CIfA and IAI both provide standards and guidance relating to archaeological archives:

• CIfA’s Standard and guidance for the creation, compilation, transfer and deposition of archaeological archives can be found at www.archaeologists.net/codes/cifa
• IAI’s Code of Conduct for the Treatment of Archaeological Objects in the context of an archaeological excavation can be found at www.iai.ie/codes-of-conduct/

As the guidance documents provided by these institutes apply across various jurisdictions,
with differing legislative basis, policies and procedures, it is recognised that they also need
to work alongside specific national or regional requirements.

This detailed guidance, specific to Northern Ireland, has been produced by HED (as the regulatory body with responsibility for excavation licensing), in collaboration with CIfA and IAI. It aims to provide clarity for practitioners on meeting the required professional standards, and both institutes recommend their members adhere to it when working in Northern Ireland.

To download click here.