Protecting Libyan Archeology 02 April 2013
Susan Kane, professor of art history and classical archeology, has received the Society for American Archaeology’s Presidential Award for her work to preserve ancient Greco-Roman archeological sites and cultural heritage in Libya during Operation Unified Protector, the NATO action to protect Libyan citizens during the country’s civil war in 2011.
Kane began her work in Libya in the 1970s, and, after the country’s political embargo of the 1980s and ’90s, returned in 2004 as the leader of the American archeological mission. The main site of Kane’s work is the ancient Greek colony of Cyrene, one of the country’s five United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage sites. For her work in protecting Cyrene during the conflict, the Friends of Cyrene named Kane an honorary president of its organization and bestowed upon her the title of honorary martyr.
Photograph courtesy of Susan Kane
