The news, of course, has focused on loss of life but the changed name from Antioch to Antakya means that most people don't realize the cultural loss yet.
In my short time as a subscriber, Kathleen has been writing, in part, about what I have considered the memory function of human activity. I have thought of this activity as our genetic secret. We are not the fastest or strongest species and there are those who might argue not the smartest but we seem to remember better because we have institutions of memory. As a librarian, I would think of libraries, but there are others: archives, museums, art galleries, and so on. But, come to find out, there are people preserving air, floppy disks, and firearms used in movies. Who knew?
There are things working against remembering. Earthquakes and other kinds of physical destruction. More than a little of such destruction comes from human action like book burning and the depredations of war such as the shelling of the Parthenon by the Venetians. One that I particularly remember was the destruction of the Stari Most in 1993—a bridge in the city of Mostar shelled by Croatian forces—was built during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificient, and too many to list. The destruction of the Buddhas shows one doesn’t even need the excuse of war.
This is a tragedy. I didn't know how bad this was.
The news, of course, has focused on loss of life but the changed name from Antioch to Antakya means that most people don't realize the cultural loss yet.
Me either. How terrible.
Thank you for giving us some background on this history. I hadn't realized how much we lost in that earthquake.
The Hatay Archaeology Museum in Antakya, where many local artifacts were housed, sustained considerable damage.
I wasn't able to get any solid citations for the actual damage to museums yet. Thank you for the sad info.
This is depressing news.
In my short time as a subscriber, Kathleen has been writing, in part, about what I have considered the memory function of human activity. I have thought of this activity as our genetic secret. We are not the fastest or strongest species and there are those who might argue not the smartest but we seem to remember better because we have institutions of memory. As a librarian, I would think of libraries, but there are others: archives, museums, art galleries, and so on. But, come to find out, there are people preserving air, floppy disks, and firearms used in movies. Who knew?
There are things working against remembering. Earthquakes and other kinds of physical destruction. More than a little of such destruction comes from human action like book burning and the depredations of war such as the shelling of the Parthenon by the Venetians. One that I particularly remember was the destruction of the Stari Most in 1993—a bridge in the city of Mostar shelled by Croatian forces—was built during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificient, and too many to list. The destruction of the Buddhas shows one doesn’t even need the excuse of war.
I ran across this article yesterday: Our Knowledge of History Decays Over Time [https://www.palladiummag.com/2023/03/07/our-knowledge-of-history-decays-over-time/]. Even when nothing bad happens, preservation of the human record is being lost. It is a type of “friction” as military historians use the term.
Bob Molyneux
Thanks, Bob. You gave me some great ideas for future posts.
Stari Most, decaying knowledge of history.
once again you provide valuable insights to otherwise head-scratching headlines.
https://arkeonews.net/earthquakes-caused-slight-damage-to-hatay-archeology-museum/
Thanks, Mary Frances--and this shows that the Hatay region was another name.
I enjoy watching documentaries about archeology in this region.
I do not think there is yet widespread understanding of what was lost.
Agree!