NEA 78:3 Special Issue: The Cultural Heritage Crisis in the Middle East

"There has probably never been a time when Near Eastern antiquities have been more a part of the public consciousness than in the past year. Sadly, it has not been to celebrate the richness of the region’s archaeology and history, but rather to collectively watch its destruction in horror and disbelief. The political turmoil and military conflict that has engulfed the Middle East in recent years has produced unprecedented threats to the region’s cultural heritage, including widespread looting of archaeological sites, direct conflict-related damage to monuments, unregulated demolition of historic buildings, and ideologically-motivated destruction of ancient and religious sites. Simply put, there is no historic parallel to the severity and geographic scope of the cultural heritage crisis, now impacting entire countries from North Africa to Central Asia."

In light of this crisis, the editors of Near Eastern Archaeology have made volume 78 open access, dedicated to the concerns over the recent destruction of antiquities.