Another article about antiquities in Libya and how relatively unscathed they were, this one from the BBC. Interesting bit at the end, about the vandalism of Gaddafi-themed exhibits in the museum, as the dead tyrant now undergoes damnatio memoriae.
BBC News – Libya’s historic treasures survive the revolution:
One day, in the not too distant future, visitors may flock to see the giant white marble statues of the Roman emperors, Claudius and Augustus, that grace Tripoli’s National Museum. Today the galleries that house them, and the ornate mosaics from the vast Roman site of Leptis Magna 120 km (75 miles) east of Tripoli, are completely deserted.
Outside the museum, at the edge of Martyr’s Square, a stall sells revolutionary souvenirs – necklaces and wristbands in the black, red and green of the new Libya. But the arched wooden door to the museum, now festooned with graffiti proclaiming Libya “free”, is firmly shut. “We don’t feel it’s safe enough yet to re-open,” says Mustafa Turjman, head of research at the national department of archaeology, as he shows me around. “We prefer to be patient rather than to open early and expose our precious things to any risk. We are not sure if our borders are safe and professional criminals could take advantage of this instability,” he says.
