Archaeologists Train "Monuments Men" to Save Syria's Past

It may be too late to save Dura-Europos [Syria's 2,000 year old madhouses and temples], but archaeologists and activists are scrambling to preserve what's left of Syria's rich history, which stretches back more than 10,000 years. The efforts are focused on training locals to save ancient monuments and museum collections in the midst of a war zone.

Organizations including the University of Pennsylvania's Cultural Heritage Center, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), and Heritage for Peace, a network of volunteers and activists based in Spain, have been holding workshops to train Syrian archaeologists, curators, and activists in "first aid for objects and sites," says Emma Cunliffe, a consultant specializing in heritage protection during conflicts.

In the midst of a war that has killed more than 190,000 people so far, millennia-old ruins and dusty museums may not seem like a priority.

But archaeologists say that preserving Syria's past is important if the country is to recover someday from the ravages of civil war.