Many of us will remember hearing the news on the 4th of August 2020 of a massive explosion in the port of Beirut. At least 218 people were killed, with 7,000 injured and buildings damaged up to 10 km away.
The Archaeological Museum at the American University of Beirut was one of those buildings. It housed a collection of 74 items of ancient glass, some from 2,000 years ago. The display case crashed onto the floor, shattering objects, the remains mingled with both window and cabinet glass.
Requests for help went out to museums around the world. A specialist team went to sift through the thousands of mixed shards to identify and pick out relevant fragments. This display is what the conservators at the British Museum put back together.
It is a small and moving display, testament to the love and skill of those people, experts in their field.
A much more recent tale of neglect and corruption has been added to the long history of these remarkable objects, their new scars adding to their fragility and beauty.
