Oxford University has much to offer for studying and understanding the cultural and religious legacy of the Middle East and beyond, in particular the information preserved in its archaeological sites and historic buildings; key parts of the environment of its peoples’ everyday lives and identities. Recording this evidence is central to understanding the modern world. This workshop showcases recent Oxford research, and asks how, and why it is important to provide future generations with an accurate record, prior to damage or destruction, for local heritage initiatives and training, as well as international research.

Organised by Judith McKenzie and Miranda Williams for the Council for British Research in the Levant (CBRL); and Oxford University’s Humanities Division, Manar al-Athar, Endangered Archaeology of the Middle East and North Africa (EAMENA), and ERC project The Monumental Art of the Late Antique Christian and Early Islamic East.

PROGRAMME

11.00 Registration, morning tea/coffee

11.20 Bill Finlayson (CBRL) Opening Remarks

11.30 Judith McKenzie (Manar al-Athar, Oxford) “The Built Environment and Identity”

12.00 Robert Bewley (EAMENA, Oxford) “Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa: Approach and Recent Results”

12.30 Edmund Herzig (Oriental Studies, Oxford) “Bactria/Balkh – Cultural Heritage Research and Management in Afghanistan”

1.00-2.00 Lunch

2.00 Ross Burns (Monuments of Syria, Sydney) “Aleppo – a Reckoning”

2.30 Round table discussion

3.00-4.00 Afternoon tea/coffee, with book launch for Ross Burns’ Aleppo: A History and Origins of the Colonnaded Streets in the Cities of the Roman East