This article described the experience of the 1th International Course for the Safeguard of Archaeological Mosaics, held in Rome, 19 September - 13 October 1990. The course was organized by ICCROM and ICR (now ISCR). We feel that it could be of general interest, for it provided the means and the occasion to examine various points:

• the state of conservation of archaeological mosaics in situ;
• the reasons for a situation that appears extremely serious in our view, and possible conditions for improving it;
• the relationship between specialized aspects, such as interventions on the mosaic per se, and management and conservation on the scale of the entire site;
• professional training of directors and personnel responsible for the sites themselves;
• the disparity of technical approach and theoretical foundation behind many proposed interventions.