Why archaeologists must speak up for Gaza
Archaeology is often a mechanism of power. As such, its scholars have an obligation to speak up against oppression.
Hilary Morgan Leathem
Writer and anthropologist of heritage
Published On 25 Mar 2024
Details of parts of a Byzantine-era mosaic floor are uncovered by a Palestinian farmer in Bureij in central Gaza Strip, Sept. 5, 2022. The man says he stumbled upon it while planting an olive tree last spring and quietly excavated it over several months with his son. Experts say the discovery of the mosaic — which includes 17 well-preserved images of animals and birds — is one of Gaza's greatest archaeological treasures. They say it's drawing attention to the need to protect Gaza's antiquities, which are threatened by a lack of resources and the constant threat of fighting with Israel. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)
Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, more than 200 cultural heritage sites have been destroyed alongside numerous archives, universities, and museums. There have been reports of the Israeli army looting historical artefacts and even displaying some of them at the Knesset.
Destroying Gaza’s heritage has far-reaching social, political, and emotional ramifications. It is a concerted attack on the existence of Palestine and its people.
Beyond producing cultural amnesia around what it means to be Palestinian, heritage destruction symbolises the negation of Palestinian history and right to land. The Israeli obliteration of Palestinian memory is intentional. It is a genocidal strategy, according to the definition laid out by the Polish-Jewish lawyer Raphael Lemkin, who coined the term “genocide” in 1944. This effort to destroy physical links between Palestinians and their heritage is aimed at erasing Palestinian presence and legitimising Israeli settler colonialism.
The Israeli destruction of archaeological sites and looting of artefacts in Gaza also raises questions about archaeology’s purported neutrality in our world. The reality is that archaeology can be deeply political.
The ability to make claims in the present based on material records of the past endows archaeology with great power. Quite literally, archaeologists provide the physical evidence required for the making of historical narratives. Archaeologists thus carry a moral obligation to inform the public of its deeply political nature.
In this context, the silence of archaeological associations across the world on what is happening in Gaza has been deafening. In Europe, Irish and Ireland-based heritage scholars mounted pressure on the European Association of Archaeologists (EAA) to speak up. In early March, the EAA finally issued a statement.
More:
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2024/3/25/why-archaeologists-must-speak-up-for-gaza
