The French archaeologists helping war-ravaged Sudan save its heritage

Amidst a devastating civil war, French experts deploy digital mapping and training to protect Sudan's ancient sites from looting and oblivion. | Contesto: cronaca

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• The French archaeologists helping war-ravaged Sudan save its heritage

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In the shadow of a brutal civil war that has ravaged Sudan for four years, claiming thousands of lives and displacing millions, a quiet, urgent mission is underway to safeguard the nation's irreplaceable archaeological heritage from trafficking and destruction. A team of French archaeologists and digital preservation specialists is now on the ground and collaborating remotely, developing and deploying innovative tools designed to document, map, and protect Sudan's abundant historical sites for future generations. This Franco-Sudanese initiative represents a critical front in the cultural preservation battle, attempting to create a durable record of treasures that face existential threats from conflict-driven looting and military encroachment. The scale of the challenge is immense. Sudan, often overshadowed by its neighbor Egypt, is a cradle of ancient civilizations, home to more pyramids than Egypt itself, along with Neolithic sites, Napatan and Meroitic kingdoms, and early Christian and Islamic heritage. These sites, scattered across the vast country, are now acutely vulnerable. With state institutions weakened and security nonexistent in many regions, organized trafficking networks have exploited the chaos, systematically looting museums, storage facilities, and remote archaeological digs to feed the illicit global antiquities trade. Furthermore, sites have suffered direct damage from shelling and are being repurposed for military use, while the simple cessation of routine maintenance has left others to the encroaching desert. The French-led response focuses on creating a resilient, digital backbone for heritage conservation. Central to this effort is the intensive training of Sudanese archaeologists, curators, and students in advanced digital documentation techniques. This includes photogrammetry, which creates precise 3D models from photographs, and the use of satellite imagery to monitor site conditions and detect signs of fresh looting from a distance. By empowering local experts with these skills, the project aims to build in-country capacity that can persist despite the instability. Teams are working to create a comprehensive digital inventory of...

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Categoria: cronaca