oa The Bloody Genesis of Dura-Europos Studies. Archaeology, Colonialism, and Violence at Salhiyeh, 1916–1920 and Beyond

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In 1920–1922, ruined Salhiyeh on the Euphrates was proved to be ancient Dura-Europos. Archaeology subsequently revealed that Dura-Europos had been product, plaything, and ultimately victim of violent imperialisms: founded by Macedonians, garrisoned by Rome, destroyed by the Sasanians. However, new research shows that investigation of Salhiyeh after World War I was no pristine enterprise of disinterested scholarship. Throughout, it was logistically reliant on, indeed inextricably intertwined with, Western imperialisms exploiting South-West Asia, something seen especially starkly in the circumstances of initial identification of Dura: Breasted’s single day of fieldwork in 1920. This was conducted amidst a small but vicious colonial war, which saw British imperial forces bombing and shelling surrounding Arab settlements. However, further research shows that seemingly no one involved in the long story of Dura-Europos/Salhiyeh has clean hands …