Stones that speak

YOU don’t notice it at first. But all over the archaeological site at Palmyra you see the same symbol—on architraves and lintels, and especially on the magnificent Bel temple. The line of carved stone eggs, each one separated by a dart or arrow pointing downwards, was first used by the Greeks on the Erechtheum behind the Acropolis. It was brought to Syria by the Romans, who built Palmyra and decorated its monuments with the egg, meaning life or rebirth, and the arrow, war or death. For centuries the two were carved together, signifying the duality of human existence.

The jihadists of Islamic State (IS) understand the meaning of symbols better than most. Over the past year they have projected fear across Iraq and Syria, posting footage of people they have beheaded. In February they released videos of ancient statues being smashed in the museum at Mosul in northern Iraq and, later, the bulldozing of the ancient Assyrian capital, Nimrud, 20 miles (32km) away. IS wants to do away with “false idols”, promising instead an Islamic caliphate that threatens to be as extreme as it is thuggish.

So when IS overran Palmyra on May 20th, many...

from The Economist: Books and arts http://ift.tt/1FiIn0k