Vandalism

[Jona Lendering]

Three years ago, I visited Pakistan's Swat valley (which was still considered to be a safe area back then), trying to find the locations related to Alexander's campaign. Although I visited several sites, I was most impressed by the Gandara art that was created after Alexander, including this Buddha near Shingerdar:

I just read on the BBC newssite that the statue has been attacked by the Taliban, who drilled holes in it, and attempted to blow it to pieces with dynamite. The statue appears to have survived more or less undamaged. Still, I did not want to leave this vandalism unrecorded.

[M. Demetrius]

Wouldn't be the first time for that.

[M.H. White]

Heaven preserve this world from ignorant and foolish men . . .

[Caius Fabius]

sure why should the Taliban do that when local government could just plan a road or a high rise parking lot or a new train station through there and destroy everything of historical value, like they sometimes do in Western Europe... :lol:

Or just make it a public park and then don't have enough security, tourists will come and carve it up and write graffiti all over it and the Taliban won't have to do anything.

[Jona Lendering]

sure why should the Taliban do that when local government could just plan a rod through there and destroy everything of historical value, like they do in Western Europe... :lol:

That's something I have to disagree with. I know a little about the way archaeological remains are now (= post-Valetta Treaty) being taken care of, and I was surprised to discover how great building companies have learned themselves, over the past ten years, to take account of archaeological remains. I'm not saying it's perfect, though.

And sometimes, it's just care for monuments that creates problems. In Athens, the Parthenon is being brought back to its fifth century BC splendor. No effort appears to be too great: in one word (three actually), the Greeks are doing a truly magnificent job. But when I visited Athens' Byzantine museum and saw the Christian additions to the Parthenon that had been removed, I realized that "bringing it back to its Justinianian phase" was a good alternative. I do not remember any debate.

Now, the Akropolis museum is being opened, and they discovered that there are several old houses between the museum and the Akropolis, so they have decided to remove two rare Art Deco houses. Is that a prize we want to pay?

What I am trying to say: I get the impression that sometimes (only some times), more damage is done by too great a care for ancient monuments.

[Goffredo]

Yep. I think there is no single solution and each generation has to find some wisdom in itself. If it does or doesn't will be history anyway and be a burden or an inspriration for the next generation.

Lets make a list ways and whys damage can be done to historic traces in places were people have lived for so long (especially cities).
For starters these are the usual ones (not including WAR, fanatical HATE, earthquakes and asteroids):
1) "fanatical love": destruction of layers of history just to reach the one favorite to some ideology (political, cultural, academic);
2) "indifference of the many": many individuals out of control that inevitably destroy traces of the past out of sheer indifference, lack of legislature AND control;
3) "progressive collateral damage": necessity to solve logistical problems (construction subways, airports, roads,...);
4) "entropy": too many people and hence too many ways damaging can occur (harsh microclimate, acids, vibrations,...) making effective conservation just too expensive especially with respect to urgent issues (immediate as opposed to historical).

[Caius Fabius]

lack of finances, ie Herculaneum Italy, Pompeii Italy, Olbia Ukraine, Khesonessos Crimea, ... well you can all add to that list!

If we donated 1% of the current US War budget to historic preservation in the world........... :roll: Or if we could find a modern day 'Getty' who loved ancient history and would fund preservation and exploration....

Now is the time to recruit the sons and daughters of the billionaires....

[Jona Lendering]

If we donated 1% of the current US War budget to historic preservation in the world...........

Yeah...

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

And sometimes, it's just care for monuments that creates problems. In Athens, the Parthenon is being brought back to its fifth century BC splendor. No effort appears to be too great: in one word (three actually), the Greeks are doing a truly magnificent job. But when I visited Athens' Byzantine museum and saw the Christian additions to the Parthenon that had been removed, I realized that "bringing it back to its Justinianian phase" was a good alternative. I do not remember any debate.

Now, the Acropolis museum is being opened, and they discovered that there are several old houses between the museum and the Acropolis, so they have decided to remove two rare Art Deco houses.

Where are these houses? I only recall the old police station/whatever that was there before the excavation of the site was complete in '04?

That building actually has significance to my family and the civil war period! The other houses I seem to recall are the embassy buildings that faced the acropolis along the pedestrian way.....? :? Beautiful buildings!

[Jona Lendering]

Where are these houses?

Between the northern part of the new museum and the Akropolis, cf. these articles:

[url:1guh92t3]http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,2137025,00.html[/url] (two months ago)
[url:1guh92t3]http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6920144,00.html[/url] (this week)