Ruining Ruins

[Ghengis_Jon]

I'm not trying to inject any politics here, but one word comes to mind.

Idiots. 

In every corner.


http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/06/14/libya.war/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

[*Alex]

Sadly, this sort of thing happens every time and everywhere there is a war. The amount of damage to and destruction of archaeological remains and artifacts during WWII in particular was quite staggering.

Alex.

[rick2]

i thought the mission was about protecting civilians , not toppling Qaddafy.

anyway the US army used tanks to ruin a few mesopotamian ruins when invading Iraq , they set up base there and just went for a drive on the ancient paved roads..........

[GMoneti]

Isn't Leptis Magna now a mostly roofless ruined city?  Maybe they'll hide rocket launchers in the latrines. 

Seriously, I hope they are just saying they might bomb the site just because they have to look uncompromising.  Otherwise this would be stupid, because if Qaddafy's last refuge is Leptis Magna, he is already toast.

[Optimo Principi]

Isn't Leptis Magna now a mostly roofless ruined city?  Maybe they'll hide rocket launchers in the latrines. 

Seriously, I hope they are just saying they might bomb the site just because they have to look uncompromising.  Otherwise this would be stupid, because if Qaddafy's last refuge is Leptis Magna, he is already toast.

I was there 2 years ago and unfortunately the ruins are full of intact vaults, chambers and roofed buildings - perfect for a madman like Gaddafi to utilise. The site is also relatively isolated but within driving distance from Tripoli. I agree that the idea of him using the ruins as an arms store seems ridiculous but in his twisted mind he may be banking on us not having the heart to bomb the site.

[Jochen]

Often the destruction of historical important sites and cultural remains was the attempt to destroy the cultural identity of the enemy!

Jochen

[Mark Z]

Follow the link and scroll down about 2/3s of the way for a similar story:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemi_ships

mz

[Robert_Brenchley]

I read the other day that Qadaffi does have troops stationed in Leptis Magna. Let's hope there's nothing of strategic value there.

[SC]

He has also stationed military assets in oil fields, oil terminals, civilian neigbourhoods and even hospital grounds, deployed foreign mercenary troops, sent military and security force snipers in civilian clothes to fire on unarmed civilians - in short broken almost every law or rule pertaining to conflict.  (We should be very glad that he was successfully "pressured" into giving up his nuclear program after his links to the AQ Khan network were revealed or god knows what we would be facing.

One could assume therefore that NATO interest in Gadaffi regime military assets located at Leptis Magna, or any other World Heritage or archeological site for that matter, is purely strategic and has nothing to do with any attempts to destroy the cultural identity of Libya.

It will however be very sad if any such sites are damaged, although I suspect they are currently far down on the interest list of the Libyan population.

Shawn