oa The Pillaging of Dura Europos. IS and the Illicit Trade in Antiquities

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Syria’s cultural heritage was an early casualty of conflict through the systematic looting and deliberate destruction of many of its archaeological sites and monuments. So, when Islamic State (IS) began to occupy large swathes of territory in Syria in the latter half of 2013 and early 2014, it came upon an already-thriving trade in looted antiquities. Recognizing this trade as a potential source of income, IS institutionalized and intensified the looting process in areas under its control at sites such as Dura-Europos and Mari. 2015 heralded a darker and more sinister manifestation of IS’s control and exploitation of cultural heritage, when they committed what can only be described as cultural atrocities. This included the destruction of numerous religious sites and monuments, most famously the Temple of Bel at Palmyra. This paper aims to trace the evolution of the systematic looting and destruction of Syria’s cultural heritage by IS and other groups through an examination of activities at the site of Dura-Europos.