23rd Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists.

Rock art is an archaeological remain with scientific values. But it is also a patrimonial legacy with historical, aesthetic and cultural values of general public interest. Scientific and Heritage values have long attracted different stakeholders (researchers, Archaeology and Heritage consultants, Administrations, landowners, tourists operators and society) who have mostly worked independently to meet their particular expectations and needs. But both scientific research and Heritage interventions do impact on each other, thus urging us to find common understandings and meeting points to develop collaborative projects to bridge the gap between Science, Heritage and Society. This session invites papers dealing with new ways of bridging the gap between Science, Heritage and Society in the archaeology of rock art. We aim to open a platform for discussing: - How can Archaeological knowledge and products contribute to stimulate social interest and sustainable uses of this artistic Heritage? - But more importantly, how can the different stakeholders (including local communities) be involved in developing research questions, preservation and use policies, and so forth. Following a previous session held at WAC-8 (Kyoto, Japan) this session aims to go beyond more traditional studies of past and present forms of art to focus on how to engage the different stakeholders in the study, preservation, current use and interpretation of this particular type of cultural heritage.