Description: ASOR’s Cultural Heritage Initiatives will be hosting a public Symposium at the 2015 ASOR Annual Meeting on Sunday, November 22 at the InterContinental Buckhead-Atlanta. ASOR invites all members and the public to attend. The goals of the Symposium are to raise awareness about the challenges of cultural heritage preservation and to provide a forum where heritage specialists and the public can engage in discussions about the threat to cultural heritage property in Syria, Iraq, and the Middle East. Questions about the Symposium should be directed to info@asor.org.

The Symposium will include three open sessions.  The Luncheon will feature introductory remarks by Andrew Cohen, U.S. Department of State and a keynote presentation by Jesse Casana (Dartmouth College), “Using Satellites to Connect the Dots—Looted Antiquities, ISIL, and the Syrian Civil War.”

Registration: This event is free and open to the public.  You may pre-register in advance (for free) online, and purchase an optional lunch ticket ($30).

12:15-1:40pm Luncheon & Keynote Presentation

Introductory Remarks: Andrew Cohen (U.S. Department of State)

Keynote Presentation: Jesse Casana (Dartmouth College), “Using Satellites to Connect the Dots—Looted Antiquities, ISIL, and the Syrian Civil War”  

* There is no fee to hear the keynote presentation.  You may pre-order a lunch ticket online for $30.

1:45-4:15pm Project Summaries

• Emily Hammer, Oriental Institute, University of Chicago (1:45-2:05)
• Graham Philip, University of Durham representing the Shirin Project (2:05-2:25)
• Amr Al-Azm, Shawnee State University (2:30-2:50)
• LeeAnn Barnes Gordon and Susan Penacho, ASOR Cultural Heritage Initiatives (2:50-3:10)
• Lauren Ristvet, Penn Cultural Heritage Center (3:10-3:30)
• J. N. Bradbury, Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East & North Africa, 
  University of Oxford (3:30-3:50)
• Arnulf Hausleiter, German Archaeological Institute (3:55-4:15)

4:20-5:00pm Looting and the Demand for Conflict Antiquities – Panel Discussion

Moderator: Andrew Vaughn (ASOR); Panelists: Amr Al-Azm (Shawnee State University), Sandra Cobden (Christie’s), Michael Danti (ASOR), and Morag Kersel (DePaul University)