UNESCO has urged all sides to preserve Libya’s cultural heritage, including the archaeological sites of Leptis Magna, Sabratha, and Cyrene.  

There’s no new information in this story from NPR, but you can listen to Tarek al-Awadi, director of the Egyptian Museum, and deputy director Mahmoud el Halwagi, talk about what happened in Cairo in January 29 first hand. The story also covers the demand of archaeologists worldwide for government protection of Egypt’s monuments and antiquities. 

This report from Turkey states that Egypt’s archaeologists are ready to go on strike unless a new minister or archaeological affairs is appointed. 

University of Cambridge archaeologist Barry Kemp, who works in Egypt at the site of Amarna, reminds everyone that any artifacts on the market were looted or are fakes. “The main targets of robbers are the antiquities storerooms. It is impossible to know at the moment how bad the overall situation is,” he told New Scientist. 

In fact, officials from Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History said that 65 objects sold at auction in Paris as ancient Maya artifacts are fakes. 

Archaeologist Mark Moore talks about making stone tools in his shed in Armidale, Australia.

This entry was posted by Jessica E. Saraceni on Wednesday, March 23, 2011. Discussion of this blog entry is now closed.

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