Abstract
After the collapse of Ottoman Empire and division of old Iran, the new geography of Middle East needed new identities. The ancient mythical past could not respond the new idea of identity anymore; because of that, the archaeological past replaced the mythical ones. All over the Middle East, the heaven of archaeologists, was excavated; ancient ruins were recovered and redefined. In such a context, the archaeological evidences remained in the hands of Middle Easterner governments. During mid-1960–1970s, Pan Arabism and Pan Aryanism both raised in the region. In both Iran and Syria, the governments celebrated ancient empires. Such festivals have been known responsible for further fundamental thoughts relevant to archaeological past. The world witnessed the demolish of Palmyra ancient ruins by ISIS. Such an action is the other site of propagandist abuse of ancient ruins by governments. Both consume the past, and both try to redefine it: one in form of demolishing and the other in form of propaganda. In this article, the authors endorsed on various forms of consuming the past in the Middle East by opposition groups and by governments.
Résumé
Après l’effondrement de l’Empire Ottoman et la division de l’Iran ancien, la nouvelle géographie du Moyen-Orient a besoin de nouvelles identités. Le passé mythique antique ne pouvait plus répondre à la nouvelle idée d’identité. À cause de cela, le passé archéologique a remplacé les passés mythiques. Partout au Moyen-Orient, le paradis des archéologues, a été fouillé, des ruines antiques ont été récupérés et redéfinies. Dans ce contexte, les preuves archéologiques sont restées dans les mains des gouvernements au Moyen-Orient. Dans les années 1960-1970, le panarabisme et le panaryanisme sont tous deux nés dans la région. En Iran et en Syrie, les gouvernements ont célébré les empires anciens. Ces festivals ont été connus pour être responsables d’autres pensées fondamentales concernant le passé archéologique. Le monde a été témoin de la démolition des ruines de Palmyre par l’État islamique. Cette action est l’autre site de l’abus de propagande des ruines antiques par les gouvernements. Les deux consomment le passé, essayent de le redéfinir. L’une sous la forme de la démolition, l’autre sous la forme de la propagande. Dans cet article, les auteurs ont approuvé différentes formes de consommation du passé au Moyen-Orient par les groupes d’opposition et par les gouvernements.
Resumen
Tras el colapso del Imperio Otomano y la división del antiguo Irán, la nueva geografía de Oriente Medio necesitaba nuevas identidades. El antiguo y mítico pasado ya no podía responder a la nueva idea de identidad; debido a ello, el pasado arqueológico sustituyó a los míticos. Se excavó todo a lo largo de Oriente Medio, el paraíso de los arqueólogos, se recuperaron y definieron antiguas ruinas. En dicho contexto, las evidencias arqueológicas permanecieron en manos de los gobiernos de los países de Oriente Medio. A mediados de los años 1960-1970, tanto el panarabismo como el panarianismo surgieron en la región. Tanto en Siria como en Irán, los gobiernos celebraron los imperios antiguos. Dichos festivales han sido conocidos como responsables de más pensamientos fundamentales relevantes para el pasado arqueológico. El mundo fue testigo de la demolición de las antiguas ruinas de Palmira por parte de Isis. Dicha acción es el otro lugar de abuso propagandístico de las ruinas antiguas por parte de los gobiernos. Ambos consumen el pasado, ambos tratan de redefinirlo. Uno mediante la demolición y el otro mediante la propagada. En el presente artículo, los autores refrendaron varias formas de consumir el pasado en Oriente Medio por parte de los grupos de oposición y los gobiernos.
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Yazdi, L.P., Massoudi, A. The Consumptive Ruins Archaeology of Consuming Past in the Middle East. Arch 13, 435–459 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11759-017-9325-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11759-017-9325-7