France’s return of 23 archaeological objects to Syria reflects an improvement in the security situation in the Middle Eastern country and a desire by both nations to step up cultural co-operation, archaeologists have said.
The artefacts, which were lent to the Arab World Institute in Paris 16 years ago, were brought back to Syria this week as the French President, Emmanuel Macron, visited the country and met his counterpart, Ahmad Al Shara.
Before being sent to the museums where they were originally held, they will reportedly be put on show at the National Museum of Damascus over the summer.
Among the pieces returned are a Palmyrene funerary scene from the second or third century CE and a relief sculpture from Raqqa in northern Syria. The Mesopotamian, Canaanite, Nabataean, Palmyrene, Roman, Byzantine and Umayyad civilisations are all covered by the artefacts.
Adnan Almohamad, a Syrian archaeologist who is a research fellow at the Carena Institute of Sustainable Archaeologies, Birkbeck, University of London, was working at the National Museum of Aleppo when the objects were first selected for the exhibition in 2010.
“I clearly remember that the curator of the Aleppo Museum was very hesitant to send these objects abroad,” he said.
“His greatest concern was that something might happen to them during transport or while they were outside Syria. At that time, no one expected that war would break out only a few months later.”
“Their return today is much more than the return of museum objects. It represents the return of an important part of Syria's cultural identity.”
Cultural connections
Mr Almohamed said the return also showed that France “sees a certain level of stability in Syria” to allow cultural co-operation between the countries to restart.
Syria’s archaeological heritage suffered significant damage during the civil war, and many cultural institutions lost qualified and experienced staff who fled abroad.
It was also almost impossible for overseas archaeologists to deal with Syria’s Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums (DGAM), according to Prof Graham Philip of the Department of Archaeology at Durham University in the UK.
“They’ve been isolated for 15 years from international cultural heritage and research. They’re starting to rebuild,” he said.
Prof Roger Matthews, of the Department of Archaeology at the University of Reading in the UK, said Syria's archaeological sector appeared to be making “strides in the right direction”.
“It is to be hoped that the Syrian government will make it a priority for future investment, and that external countries, including the UK, will help Syria in developing this field in the years ahead,” he said.
Former colonial ties mean Syria has long been an important country for French archaeological activity, with many joint French-Syrian missions. Many Syrian archaeologists, among them Mr Almohamad, earned degrees from French universities.
“These missions played a major role in excavating, documenting, conserving, and studying some of Syria’s most important archaeological sites,” said Mr Almohamad.
“Following Syria’s liberation, 13 French missions submitted requests to resume and continue their work, demonstrating that French researchers still regard Syria as a key partner for archaeological research and long-term cultural co-operation.
“The expected return of foreign archaeological missions will provide valuable technical expertise, financial support, and international co-operation, which will play an important role in accelerating the recovery.”
France, he said, does not “want to lose its historical influence in Syria”, especially as its cultural and political influence has declined in some other regions, and the return of the items is seen as a step in rebuilding relations.
Mr Almohamad said securing the return of Syrian heritage held abroad, whether illegally trafficked, lent to museums or removed for research, was “one of the major challenges” facing Syria’s DGAM.
“Each category requires a different legal and diplomatic approach and rebuilding international co-operation will be essential to achieving meaningful progress,” he said.
He said it was important that loans of objects did not become permanent transfers, adding that with the recent return of the 23 artefacts, the French museum “fulfilled its role [to return the items] responsibly”.
Thousands of looted Syrian artefacts are held outside the country, many smuggled out during the civil war, and Prof Philip said this was a greater concern than foreign museums holding on to objects.
“There’s no record of what was taken,” he said. “Stuff goes out of the country and ends up in warehouses in various parts of the world. [An item] can sit for years before it works its way to the market.”
“People might suggest it’s a Bronze Age seal from somewhere in the north of Syria, but they cannot say [exactly] where it’s from or when it was excavated, all they know is there’s no official record, unless the seller makes one up.”
This week it was also announced that as well as archaeological material, tens of millions of dollars' worth of assets confiscated from Rifaat Al Assad, Syria’s former vice president, would be returned to Syria by France.
Preserving rich history amid war
France has acted as a safe haven for artefacts from other war-torn countries, including Ukraine.
In 2023, the Louvre in Paris revealed it had been co-operating with the Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko National Museum of Arts in Kyiv to “transfer of 16 of the most emblematic works from the Ukrainian national collections to France”. The work had been carried out, the Louvre said, “in the utmost secrecy”.
The museum in Kyiv suffered damage from a missile strike in October 2022, although reports indicated that there were concerns not only about military attacks but also about theft and illicit transfers.
Some of the pieces from the Kyiv museum have subsequently gone on display at the Louvre.
