Palmyra is dead. The news is about few days old, maybe one week or a bit more. The video of explosions in the archaeological site is not the first one nor will it be the last of this human idiocy. Can you imagine? The guardian of the archaeological site has been killed because he refused to tell where he hid the archaeological finds of this ancient culture. A hero of modern times, a man that has all my esteem on the contrary of these human beings that can be defined this way only because they belong to the same species in a biological way but not for sure because of their humanity.
The irony of fate has done that, while the tragic video of destruction was going around the world, I was in Nora, an archaeological site that has a history coming straight from the far away VIII century before Christ. On this thin land strip in the extreme south of Sardinia arrived first the Phoenician, then the Punic people and in the end the Romans. This place was a strategic one at those times as it is located only 180 kilometres from the African coasts. The guide’s words, nice and cultured person, accompanied us along the centuries and the different populations trough those tangible signs lying on the floor. There are buildings, houses of ancient rich people, shops, temples and a huge theatre. As you walk through the remaining you can understand as ancient civilizations were more advanced than we can imagine. Civilizations that were in contact with each other, with strong commerce between them and with unfailing period of wars. The guide tells us how much work there is still to be done on the site; indeed the university is already preparing a new digging plan. History that is coming out from the hearth and that is wide spreading. I cannot describe the joy of being able to walk on a path that was posed more than 2500 years ago and to have someone telling me the vicissitudes of those stones where I’m walking and the stories of the people that placed them.
Culture has always been opposed by totalitarians, by those who want to darken the minds and to repress freedom. Culture is the most threating tool because it can open minds, it brings thoughts, it boosts the pluralism. We shall be conscious about the value of what we have. An Army helicopter is patrolling the coasts. Yes, the North of Africa with all its problems is just around the corner and the alert is high. Palmyra is two steps from the coasts of Europe and we must say goodbye, it has resisted to time but not at the idiocy of some humans.
* in the photo the heart of the archaeological site of Nora.
** if you wish to have a deeper view on the destruction that is going on against archaeological sites in the area you can read this National Geographic article clicking here.
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