Colosseum Hosts 1:1 Replicas of Artifacts Destroyed by ISIS in Iraq and Syria

A new exhibition opening October 7 at the Colosseum in Rome presents life-size reconstructions of three major artifacts destroyed or damaged by ISIS in the Middle East. Titled "Rinascere dalle distruzioni. Ebla, Nimrud, Palmira" (Reborn from Destruction: Ebla, Nimrud, Palmyra), the project is led by Italian institutions and companies using advanced technology. The reconstructed pieces include the Bull of Nimrud (Iraq), the State Archive Hall of Ebla (Syria), and the ceiling of the Temple of Bel in Palmyra (Syria). Francesco Rutelli, president of the Associazione Incontro di Civiltà, which organized the show with Sky Arte HD, stated the exhibition is a step in a campaign against deliberate cultural destruction. Archaeologist Paolo Matthiae, discoverer of Ebla, compared ISIS's iconoclasm to the ancient destruction of Carthage, calling it an attack on cultural plurality. The project aims to demonstrate that destroyed heritage can be rebuilt, emphasizing culture as a foundation for peace.