cultural artifacts

After Columbus wrote the letter in 1493, it was reprinted in Latin and circulated across Europe. Several copies have resurfaced in the U.S., including this one stolen from Venice in the 1980s.

A stolen Christopher Columbus letter found in Delaware returns to Italy decades later

2:56pm July 21, 2023

by Rachel Treisman

A rare copy of a letter from Columbus to Spain's royals detailing his voyage vanished from a Venice museum in the 1980s. U.S. authorities have repatriated it to Rome after a yearslong investigation.

The Temple of Bel in Palmyra had already sustained some damage from artillery shells in March 2014, when these columns in the temple courtyard were photographed. The ancient temple stood at a cultural crossroads, showing influences from Greco-Roman and Pe

World News

As ISIS Destroys Artifacts, Could Some Antiquities Have Been Saved?

11:38am September 05, 2015

by NPR Staff

The Getty Trust's president argues objects should be spread around the world for safekeeping — which is controversial, and sometimes illegal. Protecting sites, he says, could require military action.

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ISIS Video Shows Extremists Smashing Priceless Artifacts

1:41pm March 02, 2015

by Alice Fordham

Bearded men wielding sledgehammers are seen shattering ancient statues and friezes in the Iraqi city of Mosul. One of the militants says God commanded them to remove the idols and statues.

Neonta Williams (left) shares family letters dating back to 1901 with preservationist Kimberly Peach during the Smithsonian's Save our African American Treasures program at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. Peach advises her to use archive-quality po

Preserving Black History, Americans Care For National Treasures At Home

12:28am September 17, 2014

by Debbie Elliott

The relics of African-American families help tell the story of America, the Smithsonian says. Museum experts are traveling the country to help identify and care for items of cultural significance.

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