Cultural Heritage in Danger: Archaeology and Communities in Sicily during the Second World War (1940–45) (SICILYWAR)

The Second World War threatened the archaeological and cultural heritage of the countries involved in military operations. Bombing and ground operations in Sicily affected archaeological sites and museums. The EU-funded SICILYWAR project will reconstruct and study the acts and conflict between different factors: military forces, national authorities, archaeologists and local communities. It will study the way the authorities treated archaeological discoveries that emerged in military constructions; the interrelations between authorities, scientists and local communities; the comparison of the role Sicilian archaeology played in the protection of cultural heritage with other similar European contexts (in Belgium, France, UK, et al). The research will benefit a variety of scholars, including archaeologists, historians, art historians and social studies experts.