Cultural casualties of war

This Wall Street Journal article talks about cultural casualties of war and the enduring irony about how the destructive forces that tore Europe apart during World War II also coveted its artistic heritage. It was in World War II that threats to cultural heritage became a central fact of war. Even before the conflict began, [...]

Looted artefacts recovered in UK to go on display

the Irish Times talks about how treasure hunters using metal detectors are believed to have been behind the removal of nearly 900 artefacts, including a bronze age axe and medieval coins, from Ireland that have now been recovered in the UK. The recovery of the items, which are believed to have been taken from a [...]

2,300-year-old Maya pyramid bulldozed for Belize road project

A construction company has essentially destroyed one of Belize’s largest Maya pyramids with backhoes and bulldozers to extract crushed rock for a road-building project, authorities announced Monday. The head of the Belize Institute of Archaeology, Jaime Awe, said the destruction at the Nohmul complex in northern Belize was detected late last week. The ceremonial center dates [...]

How many museums have stolen objects in their collections?

The prestigious New York Museum of Metropolitan of Art made headlines earlier this month when museum officials announced plans to return two large statues to Cambodia, after concurring with evidence provided by Cambodian officials that the artifacts were looted from an ancient temple in the country. The Met maintains that, for now at least, the [...]

Empowering Entrepreneurs to Save Cultural Heritage

Larry Coben writes on huffington post: “Returning stolen objects does not save archaeological sites, creating jobs does. Especially the right kind of jobs. Why are archaeological sites around the world continuing to be destroyed and damaged at an accelerating rate? Why is our past disappearing before our eyes? To paraphrase James Carville, it’s the local economy! [...]

The Syrian civil war has destroyed the country’s significant cultural heritage

“What period it’s from is not important. I just care how much it’s worth,” says Abu Khader, a smuggler in Majdal Anjar, a small Lebanese town on the Lebanon-Syria border. Smuggling everything from cigarettes to arms has long been a family business. But Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters low on cash have started offering alternative [...]

Syrian heritage a victim of ongoing conflict

Earlier last week, the minaret of the Umayyad Mosque of Aleppo was destroyed during clashes between rebels and security forces in the city. (Reuters). The mosque is considered the largest and one of the oldest in Aleppo. It was built at the beginning of the eighth century, with the minaret crowning the building in 1090. Irina [...]

Walmart destroys Mexico’s cultural heritage

  Part of the ancient Teotihuacán site, pictured above, is now underneath a Walmart. Walmart destroys Mexico’s cultural heritage for profit. An archaeologist, Dr. Donna Yates gives her view in this article http://usilive.org/walmart-destroys-mexicos-cultural-heritage

Building cities resilience to disasters: protecting cultural heritage and adapting to climate change

This document reports on a conference intended to be attended by European Mayors, representatives of local and national governments working on disaster risk reduction (DRR) in Europe, as well as regional organizations, such as the Council of Europe, the European Commission, the private sector and three United Nations bodies, to: (i) consider the key role [...]

Cultural heritage: a casualty of war

  In this article by Agence France-Press, you can read about the main cases of destruction of cultural heritage during conflicts, following the collapse of the minaret of the ancient Umayyad mosque in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on Wednesday. – MALI – LIBYA - IRAQ - AFGHANISTAN – THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA Click here for full [...]