Degradation of archeological sites - case study Caricin Grad

Archeological sites, as highly complex parts of the cultural heritage, require special care in all parts of planning, research, conservation and presentation. An archeological site, from the moment of excavation and further on, is permanently exposed to external, potentially harmful conditions: starting from structural problems during excavations, and exposure to atmospherics (rain, frost. . .). Influence of vegetation on site degradation cannot be neglected, as well as influence of people. All the mentioned factors that influence degradation of archeological sites are classified in this paper and presented through an example of the Caricin Grad early Byzantine site located near Leskovac in Serbia .