Palmyra In the 20th Century and the Present. A historical and Community Archaeological Study

Preface by Moritz Kinzel

• About the Palmyra in the 20^th Century and the Present project
• Acknowledgements
• Scope of the project

PART 1: Introduction

• Geographical setting of Palmyra
• State of research regarding the history of Palmyra
• A brief overview of Palmyra’s history  
• Previous archaeological and historical studies about Palmyra
• Travellers, explorers, spies, and researchers 
• Archaeological excavation reports 
• Local sources 
• Articles 
• State of research: Community archaeology – about a different approach Comparison with comparable community archaeology studies around the world
• Understanding communities by community archaeology projects
• Meroe: A Case Study from Sudan
• Oceania: A Fluid Sea in the Mariana Islands
• Clan William: The Living Landscape Project
• Domboshava: Community archaeology and giving voice to the voiceless
• Resources regarding Palmyra’s history and heritage
• Methodology
• Motivation to undertake the research
• Research aim
• Research questions
• Data collection methods
• Analysing the interview content and results
• Contribution of this work
• How to reach out to displaced people?
• Interview contents

PART 2: History in written and oral sources

• The history of Palmyra in written and oral sources
• The Ottoman era
• French Mandate: The impact of archaeology
• Translocating the settlement
• Palmyra 1946–2011
• Archaeological missions 1946–2011
• Palmyra since 2011
• The impact of the ISIS invasion of 2015
• Response of the international community to the destruction of Palmyra
• Displaced Palmyrenes – 2015 until today
• Not only once
• Where is the former population of Palmyra today?
• Stories of people leaving Palmyra
• The scale of the tragedy
• The impact of (heritage) loss on lives and livelihoods
• How to alleviate the suffering of Palmyrenes in exile? 

PART 3: The Community participations in the archaeological site and its surroundings

• The community participations in the archaeological site and its surroundings
• The local population - Who belongs to the local population?
• Demographics
• The local community’s view on the antiquities and archaeological authorities
• Natural heritage in Palmyra
• Afqa spring
• The Oasis
• Cultural heritage and community participation within the archaeological site
• Badia Festival
• Student Camps
• Tours within the site
• Activities next to ruins by the local inhabitants
• Notes and memories of the archaeologists who worked in Palmyra
• The archaeologist Andreas SCHMIDT-COLINET
• The Norwegian archaeologist Jørgen Christian MEYER
• The Belgian-French archaeologist Christiane DELPLACE
• The Syrian-French archaeologist Manar HAMMAD
• The Norwegian archaeologist Nils ANFINSET
• The old village in the Temple of Bel and its translocation
• The archaeologists’ and researcher’s view
• Palmyra/Tadmur with the eyes and in the eyes of the locals
• Discussing the role of Palmyra/Tadmur as a city in the 20^th century
• Illegal excavation and vandalism
• Damage to the modern residential City (Az-Zahira)
• Events that took place under ISIS in the Temple of Bel and the theatre
• Global initiative and effort for the recovery of Palmyra

PART 4: Past - Present - Future

• PAST - PRESENT - FUTURE concluding remarks 

APPENDIX

• List of Illustrations
• Bibliography
• About the Author
• Stewards of Cultural Heritage Project (SoCH)