Abstract

In this talk I will look at the case for and against the reconstruction of Palmyra, Syria, setting the site in its historical context to understand what its future might look like. Several commentators on reconstructions take as their starting point that reconstructions, and a concern with preserving the past, are modern preoccupations (see e.g. Lübbe 1996; Rehberg and Neutzner 2015; Roth 1997). The idea of the past in the past is now well-established in archaeological theory and research, demonstrating that past peoples had intimate relationships with their immediate and deeper pasts. There has, however, been less focus on how people in the past may have responded to the destruction of their built environment (both past and contemporary) through conflict. I will explore how we might explore these past responses to destruction at Palmyra. In addition, I will look at how Palmyra has been reimagined in and by the west since the earliest western visitors reported on the site in the 17^th century with a view to understanding how this has impacted on current calls to reconstruct the site following its most recent destruction.