![]() If enough chunks of masonry and sculpture have survived in sufficiently recognisable shape, it may indeed be possible to re-erect parts of buildings or even entire structures. It will surely take many years to sift through the rubble of the demolished buildings with the appropriate caution and precision. The first job in Palmyra is to assess the damage very, very carefully. Restoration is a delicate art, and the responsible preservation of antiquities has to mean accepting the finality of loss where rebuilding might be deceitful. How can these terrible losses be put right? That seems to be the question archaeologists are asking. The Temple of Baalshamin has also been obliterated. An arch dedicated to the Roman emperor Septimius Severus similarly withstood the centuries until it was brutally demolished last October. Only two columns and a lintel remain after it was blown up by Isis in August 2015. ![]() The Temple of Bel stood poignantly as a survival of the city’s ancient religion. Palmyra had some remarkably well-preserved ancient buildings. Russian combat engineers check for mines in the retaken city. ![]()
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