The Lion Statue of Ain Dara, Syria
During the Syrian war, many archaeological sites were subjected to systematic looting and destruction, often on a massive scale. Among the casualties of this looting is a colossal basalt statue of a lion that was located at the archaeological site of Ain Dara in northwest Syria. The lion of Ain Dara is a prominent local symbol and of great importance for the collective memory of northwest Syria, especially for the people of Wadi Afrin. Its disappearance will also have serious repercussions for the local economy as it was, in the past, an important tourist attraction.
In this article, the authors investigate how the statue was stolen, why it was stolen, and where it is now. By using the lion statue of Ain Dara as a case study, they aim to shed more general light on the networks responsible for looting and trafficking Syrian antiquities, the factors that have enabled their growth during the conflict, and the role of civil society organizations in reducing their harmful impact on the cultural community of the Syrian people.
The full text can be found at https://doi.org/10.1017/S0940739124000183
The lead author, Dr Ammar Kannawi, worked in Cara's Syria Programme and has commented, "I assure you that the real benefit I gained through my work with Cara is greater than publishing this research, as I greatly benefited from Cara's guidance and the guidance of the mentors to learn how to write academically, in addition to learning modern scientific research methodologies. Which I will adopt in the future in my study and work method in the field of archaeology."
Our congratulations to him and his colleagues on this fascinating article!