„Jenseits von Palmyra – Kulturgüterschutz in der Lehre“: Tagungsbilanz der Organisatoren

Abstract

Since the criminal acts of Daesh in Syria and Iraq and the accompanying demolitions resp. lootings of ancient sites and artefacts, the issue of cultural heritage protection increasingly gained attention across the German public as well (i.e. NDR, 2014). The consequences of these lootings are devastating: The UNESCO estimates that trafficking of illegally obtained cultural goods accrues to one of the largest illicit trading markets worldwide next to firearms and drugs (UNESCO, n.d.; Wenk, 2018). While the latter goods have a negative connotation, antiquities are usually associated with fine arts as well as adventure and treasure hunting. This raises questions on how it might be possible to gain more attention for the issues behind these actions and their far-reaching impacts. How and to what extent should these issues be part of archaeological public relations? Are future professionals obtaining the necessary skill set at university to face these challenges? The congress “Beyond Palmyra – Cultural heritage protection in university curricula” in Berlin on 29th October 2016, organized by members of Dachverband archäologischer Studierendenvertretungen e.V. (DASV), was seeking to answer these questions (DASV, 2016; FU Berlin, 2016).