A round-table talk analyses the destruction of historical heritage in the Middle East
Propagandistic images showing how the Islamic State has destroyed reliefs and statues, blown up archaeological sites and burned libraries have caused quite a stir among the international community. What are the aims and the basis of the actions that have shocked the academic community? In an attempt to understand this terrible episode of iconophobia, the Institute of Ancient Near Eastern Studies (IPOA) of the University of Barcelona (UB) organises the round-table talk “LʼEstat Islàmic i la destrucció del patrimoni històric del Pròxim Orient”, which takes place on Wednesday 22 April, at 11 a.m., in the teaching staff room of the Josep Carner Building (585, Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, Barcelona).
Propagandistic images showing how the Islamic State has destroyed reliefs and statues, blown up archaeological sites and burned libraries have caused quite a stir among the international community. What are the aims and the basis of the actions that have shocked the academic community? In an attempt to understand this terrible episode of iconophobia, the Institute of Ancient Near Eastern Studies (IPOA) of the University of Barcelona (UB) organises the round-table talk “LʼEstat Islàmic i la destrucció del patrimoni històric del Pròxim Orient”, which takes place on Wednesday 22 April, at 11 a.m., in the teaching staff room of the Josep Carner Building (585, Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, Barcelona).
The round-table talk analyses issues such as the origin of Islamic State iconophobia, the propagandist use of cultural heritage destruction, the illegal antiquities trade as one its sources of funding, the role played by the academic community plays in the conflict, the magnitude and consequences of heritage destruction, and the measures that should be taken by the international community.
Adelina Millet Albà, expert on Bronze-Age Syria, moderates the round-table talk. She is the director of the Institute of Ancient Near Eastern Studies and professor in the Department of Semitic Languages of the UB. She has led and participated in many archaeological excavations in Syria and she was the epigraphist of the site of Chagar Bazar (Syria). Participating speakers are: Pedro Azara, professor of Aesthetics and Art Theory at the UPC who has participated in several excavation campaigns carried out in Syria and Iraq; Lluís Feliu, researcher in the Institute of Ancient Near Eastern Studies and expert on ancient Mesopotamia; Miquel Molist, professor in the Department of Prehistory at the UAB and expert on prehistoric Near East, and one member of the Spanish Police Forces, expert on international antiquities trade.