Archive Archaeology: Preserving and Sharing Palmyra's Cultural Heritage through Harald Ingholt's Digital Archives. A case study in the accessibility and potential of archives

Abstract

Despite growing focus, archives remain under-utilised in archaeology and cultural heritage research. Regrettably, COVID-19 exacerbated archive inaccessibility, as researchers were largely cut off from physical resources, thereby underlining the need to develop best practice scenarios. Here we present a case study that demonstrates the potential of archives when made freely available.

New Book Chronicle

“…In August 2015, militants of the so-called Islamic State destroyed the temple of Bel in the ancient city of Palmyra; this act was followed a month later by the destruction of some of the well-preserved funerary architecture in the nearby Valley of the Tombs. Despite the devastation, archaeologists continue working to record and understand the archaeology of Palmyra, with projects such as Archive Archaeology: Preserving and Sharing Palmyra's Cultural Heritage through Harald Ingholt's Digital Archives (Miranda & Raja 2022) demonstrating how archive material can help to reconstruct what has been lost. This NBC features two recent additions to the Studies in Palmyrene Archaeology and History series, dedicated to deepening knowledge of the ancient city.…”