The Mediterranean Archaeological Tourism Exchange and Archeo have intended to give due tribute to archaeological discoveries through an annual Prize awarded in collaboration with international journals: Antike Welt (Germany), Archéologia (France), as.Archäologie der Schweiz (Switzerland), Current Archaeology (UK), Dossiers d'Archéologie (France).
The International Archaeological Discovery Award “Khaled al-Asaad” – now in its fifth edition and named after the archaeologist from Palmyra who paid with his life in defense of cultural heritage – is the only recognition in the world dedicated to the world of archaeology and in particular to its protagonists, archaeologists, who with sacrifice, dedication, competence and scientific research face their task every day in the dual role of scholars of the past and professionals at the service of the territory.
In 2015, the Prize was awarded to Katerina Peristeri, Head of Excavations, for the discovery of the Tomb of Amphipolis (Greece); in 2016 to INRAP Institut National de Recherches Archéologiques Préventives (France), represented by its President Dominique Garcia, for the discovery of the Celtic Tomb of Lavau; in 2017 to Peter Pfälzner, Director of the Archaeological Mission, for the discovery of the Bronze Age city near the village of Bassetki in northern Iraq; in 2018 to Benjamin Clément, Head of Excavations, for the discovery of the “little French Pompeii” of Vienne, in the presence of Omar, one of the archaeologist sons of Khaled al-Asaad.
The Prize will be awarded to the first-ranked archaeological discovery, according to the reports received by each newspaper. In addition, a “Special Award” will be awarded to the discovery, among the five candidates, that has received the greatest consensus from the general public through the Facebook page of the Borsa (www.facebook.com/borsamediterraneaturismoarcheologico) in the period 17 June-30 September.
The five archaeological discoveries of 2018, nominated to win the fifth edition of the International Archaeological Discovery Award “Khaled al-Asaad”, are:
- Bulgaria: The world's oldest intact shipwreck found in the Black Sea
– Egypt: in Saqqara, south of Cairo, an ancient mummification laboratory
– Jordan: in the Black Desert the oldest bread in the world
– Italy: the inscription and the valuable dwellings discovered in Pompeii
– Switzerland: Oldest Metal Hand Found in Europe
The Director of the Stock Exchange Ugo Picarelli and the Director of Archeo Andreas Steiner have shared this common path, aware that "the civilizations and cultures of the past and their relationships with the surrounding environment today increasingly assume an importance linked to the rediscovery of identities, in a global society that increasingly disperses its values". The Award, therefore, is characterized by disseminating an exchange of experiences, represented by international discoveries, also as a good practice of intercultural dialogue and cooperation between peoples.
The Awards will be presented on Friday 15 November during the XXII BMTA, in Paestum from 14 to 17 November 2019.
EDITORIAL TEAM
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