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UNESCO Urges NATO to Avoid Bombing Heritage Sites in Libya
Many antiquities left by ancient civilizations became collateral damage when the US invaded Iraq. Libya is a country with five UNESCO World Heritage Sites , including well-preserved Greek and Roman ruins. Libyan rebels claim that Gadhafi is hiding rocket launchers at Leptis Magna, a Roman city founded by the Phoenicians in the 10th Century BC.
By Warren Olney • • 1 min readMany antiquities left by ancient civilizations became collateral damage when the US invaded Iraq. Libya is a country with five UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including well-preserved Greek and Roman ruins. Libyan rebels claim that Gadhafi is hiding rocket launchers at Leptis Magna, a Roman city founded by the Phoenicians in the 10th Century BC. Such sites are supposed to be protected by an international treaty on "Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict." But NATO's not saying whether it would bomb the site if rebel reports turn out to be true. For the last eight years, Brian Rose, Professor of Mediterranean Archeology at the University of Pennsylvania, has trained troops deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan in cultural heritage awareness.
