In such a difficult moment, in which memory goes back to tragic images that are so close to what we have unfortunately already seen, we believe it is important to give voice to the professionals within our world who make a very important and positive contribution.
A romantic as well as erroneous view of the archaeologist sees him as a treasures hunter, travelling distant places. Surely this part of their work is the most fascinating and gives us unexpected finds, but today the archaeologists play also a social role, they are the guarantors of the memory of a community, their activity is also in support to the safeguarding of historical places. Part of their mission is also to train citizens, wherever they are, to ensure that they take care and protect their cultural heritage.
Giancarlo Garna is an archaeologist. Trained at the University of Padua, as a freelancer he has participated in multiple excavation campaigns in Italy and abroad. He is actively involved in relations between Archeology and Politics, in the fight against the looting and illegal trafficking of Cultural Heritage, especially in the Middle East. From 2014 to 2016 he collaborated with the Italian Cooperation in Iraq as part of the training of local experts and workers in the archaeological field.
Awarded the title of “Person of the year 2017” by the Archeomafie International Observatory, in 2018 he was awarded the “Prix Asolapo Italia 2018-2019 for peace”, including history, culture and peace.
Giancarlo Garna and Art-Test participate in the Biennial School of Higher Education in Judicial Archeology and Crimes against Cultural Heritage, organized by the Criminological Studies Center of Viterbo.
Why did you choose to be an archaeologist?
Since I was a child I have always had a passion for the study of history. Also at the age of ten I read a book on the discovery of the ancient Syrian site of Mari and I wondered if I would ever have the opportunity to see places like that. Over time I have become more and more interested in aspects of daily life and beliefs of the Ancients, especially of the people, often forgotten by the historical narrative itself; and thus the transition to archeology has become practically natural. And in 1999 I went to Mari, as an Archaeologist, a child’s dream come true, it doesn’t happen often.
What does it mean to be an archaeologist today?
Archeology has changed a lot, it is a discipline that has opened up to all other related sciences, from geology to archeometry, up to various types of analytical tests in the laboratory.
Being an archaeologist today means wanting to achieve ever more precise and comprehensive historical reconstructions, but with a multidisciplinary approach and with the aim of making them accessible to the public. And in doing this, a new social and active role must be assumed, becoming an engine of research on the territory. One must have the function of conservator and disseminator of memory, be able to increase awareness of one’s territory and its history, also forming a generation of people who work in this sense. Therefore, to work with an eye to the past, an eye to the present and a broad and articulated vision for the future.
During your career you have repeatedly participated in missions in areas where war has not only affected the human fabric but has also torn the heritage. How are archaeological missions important for the reconstruction of a territory and its culture?
Archaeological missions play a fundamental role, not only in the documentation and conservation of the remains, but also for the communities that inhabit that territory. The involvement of local communities and the training of their archaeologists become fundamental tools for the defense, protection and enhancement of the territory and its history. Especially in those areas and territories targeted by poverty, wars and the perverse mechanisms connected to it such as the destruction of monuments and sites and the illegal trade in antiquities and cultural heritage.
The Archaeological Missions contribute to creating awareness of the value, not only historical but of a wide range, of the culture of a territory. They also develop an attitude to defend it, they are able to make it clear that it is an added value, also as an engine of job and economic opportunities.
Our time, after two long years in which everything has been reprogrammed, now sees a war conflict that risks erasing or certainly compromising the culture of an entire nation. In an emergency, how can archaeological action missions help limit collateral damage? What can international communities and individuals do in situations?
During an ongoing conflict it becomes particularly difficult to operate directly in the field, but it is possible to try, within the limits of safety conditions, to continue to document and catalog the cultural heritage as much as possible, reporting and collaborating in the safety of the cultural heritage itself.
The international community must continue to stigmatize indiscriminate bombings, reporting them and trying to impose areas of respect not to be attacked and accused of crimes, not only of war, but against humanity, those who do not respect this prohibition.
How can new technologies, large-scale diagnostics and point-in-time areas be useful, both in the short and long term?
The new technologies are useful across the spectrum, as they open up new perspectives for research and interpretation of both current and past findings. They allow a deeper look at new and old discoveries, which leads to reviewing past beliefs and formulating increasingly precise hypotheses in the historical reconstruction phase. They are also extremely useful in the fight against the illegal trafficking of Cultural Assets and their falsification, determining not only the authenticity of the objects, but also discovering the false provenance certifications of stolen or plundered objects placed on the market.
