Dr. Patrick Michel
Digital Safeguarding of the Baalshamin Temple in Palmyra
A Project of the University of Lausanne
The destruction of Palmyra’s Temple of Baalshamîn by ISIL in 2015 crystallised the sense of loss of memory for those who had fled the combat zones during the Syrian Civil War. The main problem today is how to document both the monument itself and its destruction. The Collart Palmyra Project at the University of Lausanne digitized photos, sketchbooks and notebooks from archaeologist Paul Collart’s archive and made them accessible to researchers and Syrian refugees via an open access database and a 3D reconstruction of the temple. A VR experience created together with Ubisoft, and partnerships with UNDP Syria and various NGO’s allow to present 3D models of the temple to Syrian refugees. The project produced learning tools in Arabic and a booklet on the history of Palmyra, with emphasis on its multicultural aspects in Antiquity, and wants to explore how these digital assets provide a scaffold for the memories of migrants.
Dr. Patrick M. Michel holds a PhD in Assyriology and a MA in Classical Archaeology and Ancient History from the University of Lausanne. After teaching at the Universities of Geneva and Bern, he is now a Senior Lecturer in Ancient History at the University of Lausanne and directs the Faculty of Art’s Digital Humanities Center. Dr. Michel is the scientific director of the Collart-Palmyra project, for which he received the Prix de l’Université de Lausanne (2022) and the ICCROM-Sharjah Award for Good Practices in Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management in the Arab Region. He moreover holds a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Cultural Property Law and is a member of the scientific committee of the ALIPH Foundation.
Program
Welcome and introduction by Diederik Burgersdijk (BABESCH Foundation)
BABESCH Byvanck Award, presented to Eline Verburg (University of Amsterdam)
BABESCH Byvanck Lecture by Patrick Michel (University of Lausanne)
Discussion, moderated by Vanessa Boschloos (University of Ghent)
