(by Catherine Hornby).
Eight classical treasures from
Tunisia's Bardo National Museum, which suffered a terror attack
earlier this year, are set to go on show in Italy as part of a
project that aims to use cultural awareness to resolve conflicts
and encourage peaceful cooperation.
The pieces will be displayed in the National Archaeological
Museum in the northern Italian town of Aquileia - a UNESCO World
Heritage site since 1998 and home to an ancient Roman Forum - as
of the project called Wounded Archaeology, which also aims to
draw attention to the destruction of precious monuments around
the world.
The show will include a famous 2nd century AD head of
Emperor Lucio Vero found in the ancient Roman city of Dougga in
northern Tunisia, a statue of Jupiter, and colourful mosaics
from the ancient sites of Uthina and Gightis.
Antonio Zanardi Landi from the Aquileia Foundation said the
idea for the exhibition developed when he visited Tunisia with
Italian President Sergio Mattarella to show Italy's solidarity
with the Tunisian people following a March jihadist attack on
the museum in which 22 tourists were killed - including four
Italians - along with two Tunisian Islamic State (ISIS)
extremists.
"The Bardo is the most important museum in northern Africa
after Cairo's, and its collections show how the Mediterranean
was a place of peaceful coexistence and mutual exchange 2,000
years ago," he said in a presentation.
Friuli Venezia Giulia Governor Debora Serracchiani said the
exhibition was a chance to highlight the connections between
Aquileia's own history and that of the entire Mediterranean.
"The best response to what is happening is not just
military solutions, but also and above all the cultural route.
We have to deepen our shared knowledge, obviously with respect
for the diversity that keeps us together. Europeans should
remember that more," she said.
The exhibition running from December 6 to January 31.
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