Stanley-Price, Nicholas

The fonds comprises an extensive collection of over 7300 slide films, accompanied by an assortment of project documentation, reports, and publications. These materials were predominantly created by Nicholas Stanley-Price over a period spanning four decades, from the 1960s to the 2000s. They include materials generated during his missions with the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), consultation work for various international organizations, as well as material from private initiatives.  

The collection reflects the extent of his professional work as archaeologist, archaeological conservator, and educator. It provides invaluable insight into the cultural heritage preservation practices, showcasing Stanley-Price's contributions to the field through visual and written records that document the state of heritage sites, and the preservation methods employed during his international endeavors.

Nicholas Stanley-Price trained as an archaeologist, holding a D. Phil. degree from the University of Oxford for his doctoral dissertation on the prehistoric colonization of Cyprus. After spending a year, 1979–1980, as Assistant Archaeological Adviser in the Ministry of National Heritage and Culture in the Sultanate of Oman, he decided to specialize in the conservation and management of cultural heritage, with particular attention to archaeological sites.

He first became connected to ICCROM in Rome in 1981 when he participated in the Scientific Principles of Conservation course, then joining the ICCROM staff as Assistant Coordinator for that annual course, serving from 1982 to 1986. The following year he joined the Getty Conservation Institute in Los Angeles where he focused on conservation and professional education as Deputy Director of the Training Program until 1995. For the Institute he managed field programmes for the conservation of a Roman mosaic in Cyprus and for conserving rock art in the Sierra de San Francisco in Baja California, Mexico. From 1996 to 1997, he worked on international projects as an independent consultant, collaborating on heritage sites such as the Côa Valley Archaeological Park in Portugal, the Archaeological Site of Troy in Turkey, the Angono Petroglyphs at Binangonan in the Philippines and, for UNESCO, the Centre-Ville de Beyrouth and the Archaeological Site of Tyre, both in Lebanon.

In 1998 he joined the University College London's Institute of Archaeology, where he launched a new M.A. program on site conservation and management.

From 2000 to 2005, Stanley-Price returned to Rome as Director-General of ICCROM, where he launched a vast programme which allowed gathering a much more diverse team than ever before in the organization. This encouraged different approaches to understanding and caring for heritage, promoting a broader and more inclusive framework. Under his directorship, ICCROM developed a comprehensive policy for interns, visiting professionals, and scholars, leading to the creation of the Internship and Fellows Programme. This initiative created valuable opportunities for the organization to collaborate with interns and visiting professionals in addressing heritage preservation challenges. He also elevated ICCROM’s publishing initiatives by advocating for the dissemination of scientific research conducted within the organization, which led to the establishment of the ICCROM Conservation Studies series. This series has published a dozen volumes, sharing valuable insights and research findings from ICCROM’s activities. Moreover, he established the position of an Archivist at ICCROM, recognizing the vital importance of managing and preserving records and archives. This position included the creation of dedicated archival facilities and the incorporation of archives into ICCROM's Programme and Budget, ensuring the allocation of both human and economic resources for the maintenance and preservation of ICCROM's institutional archives. This initiative reinforced the organization's commitment to safeguarding its own heritage while furthering its mission of global heritage conservation.

After leaving ICCROM, Stanley-Price served for a year as Strategic Adviser to the Sharjah Museum Department in the U.A.E. and continued with other consultancy work.

Throughout his career, Stanley-Price has made significant contributions to advancing knowledge of conserving archaeological heritage through his books, articles and teaching. Recognizing the importance of this field, in 1995 he founded and served as editor of the journal Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites (now published by Taylor & Francis). The journal presents the latest advances and insights in the field and has established itself as a primary reference for professionals and students. Stanley-Price has also co-edited a book entitled Historical and Philosophical Issues in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage (Getty Conservation Institute, 1996), the first comprehensive collection of texts on the theory of conservation of European art and architecture.

Even after his retirement Stanley-Price continues to contribute his expertise. He serves on the Advisory Committee of the Protestant Cemetery in Rome and edits its Friends’ quarterly Newsletter. He has published many books and articles on the cemetery’s history and management, including the book The Non-Catholic Cemetery in Rome (Cimitero Acattolico di Roma, 2014), and most recently, The Graves in Rome of John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley (Cimitero Acattolico di Roma, 2020).