Things You Can't Take Back

Protecting Rome’s Ancient Architecture, with @saverome

Modern Rome is built atop a layer of ancient ruins, many of which are still standing and accessible today. Having worked in Rome as a preservationist and teacher for the last 15 years, archaeologist Darius Arya (@saverome) has a keen knowledge of the city’s rich structural history. Through Instagram, he takes followers along for an up-close, educational look at Rome’s ruins. “I love being able to reveal a lot of information on a well-known structure like the Pantheon or discuss a structure or issue in the shadow of something so well known, like the barely-known Saepta Julia resting against the Pantheon,” he says. “Instagram has helped me focus my message and deliver a variety of styles, from a simple photo to intensely dense informative material.”

In his self-proclaimed quest to make #culturalheritage cool, Darius has opened up a global dialogue about the Roman ruins on Instagram. “I find the feedback from people is great. People are learning, hungry for more. I really enjoy being able to get into the conversation and spur on interest.”

Cards Protect Combat Zone Historic Sites

Laurie Rush is on a mission. The American scientist is teaching the U.S. military about the value of archeological sites and ancient artifacts in combat zones.  Rush joined forces with the U.S. military in 1998, when she accepted a civilian post as an archeologist at Fort Drum, New York. The area is rich in Native American history, Rush’s specialty, and part of her job is to ensure that construction and training on the vast base don’t harm any valuable archeological sites. That’s what happened in the ancient Iraqi city of Babylon in 2003 following the U.S.-led invasion. As American and Polish troops were building a camp, they inadvertently crushed an ancient brick pavement and destroyed dragon decorations on the Ishtar Gate, which was constructed at around 575 BC.   “My participation, and the entire change in my own personal career, came with learning that there had been damage at Babylon,” Rush says. “It immediately occurred to me that a better educated force would not have made those kinds of mistakes.” Read more

Turkey Battles to Repatriate Antiquities

If one were to describe the current mood in Turkey in one word, it would be pride. Once decried as the “sick man of the Bosporus,” the nation has regrouped and emerged as a powerhouse. Turkey’s political importance is growing, and its economy is booming.

In cultural matters, however, Turkey remains a lightweight. To right this deficiency, the government plans to build a 25,000-square-meter (270,000-square-foot) “Museum of the Civilizations” in the capital. “Ankara will proudly accommodate the museum,” boasts Minister of Culture and Tourism Ertugrul Günay. “Our dream is the biggest museum in the world.”

And why should Turkey be modest? Isn’t Anatolia home to the most magnificent ruins in the entire world? Even so, it must be noted that the Turks themselves can claim little credit for their archeological treasures. Their ancestors, the Seljuks, only arrived from the steppes of Central Asia in the 11th century. Christian Constantinople, now known as Istanbul, fell in 1453.

Before then, however, Hittites, Greeks, Romans and Byzantines had built enormous palaces, monasteries and amphitheaters in the region. Whether it was Homer, Thales or King Midas — they all lived on the other side of the Dardanelles.

When the new Muslim masters took over, the region’s illustrious past faded into obscurity. The water-pipe-smoking caliphs were more concerned with pursuing their own interests. Read more

Photo: Steven Viney

Garbage dumped in a looted archaeological site at Abu Sir. http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/garbage-dumping-and-archaeological-looting-abu-sir-alarm-residents

New Open Access Texas Archaeology Publication

Photo: UNESCO/C. Jacques

A headless relief at the Banteay Chmar Temple. http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=36522&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

Photo: Nathan Craig

Mummified child’s arm, looter’s foot prints and urine http://huaqueando.blogspot.com/