Читать книгу A Companion to the Hellenistic and Roman Near East онлайн

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The site whose fate has become most emblematic of the recent destruction that took place in the Middle East is Palmyra. The willful demolition of its spectacular remains has not only turned the erstwhile “Queen of the Desert” into the undisputable symbol of the world’s heritage at risk, it has also made the oasis city the main forum for ongoing discussions both about rebuilding planning and about a reorientation of scholarly approaches which have to move away from the traditional approach dominated by annual excavations (Kaizer 2016b). Whereas for some, Palmyra’s future lies in anastylosis, a reconstruction of the ruins with use of modern materials where necessary, for others the ruins are lost forever and no attempt should be made to regain them as they were (the case against reconstruction is made most vigorously by Schmidt-Colinet 2019). What is in any case needed first is the coordination of all available documentation and the updating of the existing catalogs of collections. In the meantime, digital conservation of the site may serve as an instrument to preserve humanity’s collective memory as a legacy for future generations.