Giorgio Buccellati

     “An archaeological project explores the past. But it lives in the present” (p. 102).
     This sentence clarifies at the very beginning of the paper the topic of the contribution: the moral presence of an archaeological mission in a country devastated by war, “transforming culture into a social glue”, being able “to raise a local awareness for the subtle richness of a long since hidden culture” of an ancient site “where today's inhabitants are [...] protecting the silent witness of their ancient territorial forebears” (p. 102).
     The paper presents the results of the recent Rimini exhibition From the Depth of Time: Communication and Community in Ancient Syria (for which see the catalogue at Publisher's page), strengthening the “immense vitality and profound relevance of archaeology” (p. 104).
     This ethic approach is well-defined as the “courage among the ruins” (p. 104), helping the local community of Tell Mozan “to maintain the national values and even to innovate” (p. 104), on the base of five key-points: cohesiveness, professionalism, prevention and control, collaboration with international organizations, and national awareness.
     Local efforts are described in preserving and consolidate the structures of the site (the “arte povera” of conservation), within an increasing sense of involvement and responsibility. The development of a consciousness in the conservation of this “fragile gift of time” (p. 109) led to the training of local people motivated in preserving their own heritage; a guidebook to the site in English, Arabic and Kurdish was prepared and a group of about thirty women started crafting dolls and other products dispatched also abroad to show the resilience and the involvement of local community in preserving their own past for the future.
[About local activities at Tell Mozan, cf. Buccellati 2015 and Buccellati 2018].

[M. De Pietri – November 2019]