The volume under review offers a timely and compelling interdisciplinary contribution to the expanding field of heritage and conflict studies. Rooted in the proceedings of an international conference held at Ghent University in 2020, the volume gathers eleven case studies from Italy, Greece, France and Finland to explore how World War II shaped the preservation, destruction and reinterpretation of archaeological sites, museum collections and monuments.
A defining strength of the collection is its integration of diverse disciplinary perspectives, archaeology, military history, heritage studies and especially archival research. Rather than focusing solely on physical destruction, the contributions probe the institutional responses, social networks and ideological pressures that framed heritage management during wartime.
C. Coccoli investigates the activities of the Allied Subcommission for Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives (MFAA) in Italy, which documented the extensive damage to archaeological heritage and collaborated with Italian authorities to stabilise and salvage endangered sites. This Allied perspective enriches our understanding of wartime conservation practices and the complex dynamics of occupation and cooperation.
N. Pollard provides a focused case study on the Museo Nazionale di Napoli, analysing the dilemmas faced by curators concerning in situ protection versus evacuation of collections. The museum’s experience under British military occupation is especially notable for revealing both the risks and unexpected benefits of such wartime encounters.
Crisà turns to Sicily, one of the most heavily bombarded regions of Europe during the war, and examines the case of the Cave of Polyphemus in Milazzo. There, archaeological concerns intersected directly with military strategy, as fortification efforts prompted negotiations between the Italian army and archaeologist Luigi Bernabò Brea to minimise damage to the site.
F. Bartolini and S. Stoddart explore the material and emotional impact of war in the town of Troina, where the 1943 battle between German and Allied forces resulted in near-total destruction. Using archival research and the iconic wartime photography of Robert Capa, they illustrate how war memory and cultural heritage became deeply intertwined in local identity and post-war reconstruction.
G. Germanò examines the destruction of the Roman bridge at Canosa di Puglia by retreating German troops. By analysing visual and documentary archives, the study sheds light on both the strategic targeting of infrastructural heritage and the post-war challenges of documentation and reconstruction.
Shifting to Greece, C. Tsouli focuses on the Attica region and outlines the Greek state’s emergency measures to protect antiquities during the Axis occupation. Her study reveals the Greek Archaeological Service’s dual struggle: resisting occupation forces while being compelled to cooperate with the German and Italian Kunstschutz units.
M. Chidiroglou presents photographic and administrative records from the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, detailing the systematic burial of artefacts in basements and underground pits to shield them from aerial bombardment. This proactive safeguarding strategy ensured the survival of numerous cultural treasures.
F. Katevas revisits the case of Kerameikos, the ancient cemetery and museum in central Athens. This archive-based study documents the damage caused by military conflicts and the disputes between the German Archaeological Institute and the Greek authorities during the occupation period, illustrating the fragility of cultural institutions caught in geopolitical struggles.
J. Driessen investigates the island of Crete under Axis occupation, where both German and Italian forces undertook widespread fortification efforts that endangered known and unknown archaeological sites. His research highlights instances of unauthorised excavations and situates them within the broader framework of wartime exploitation of cultural landscapes.
In the French context J.-P. Legendre and L. Olivier address the largely overlooked destruction of archaeological heritage during World War II. Their study evaluates the impact of Allied bombings and the construction of defensive systems such as the Maginot Line and the Atlantic Wall, drawing attention to the war’s long-term effects on archaeological practice and landscape memory in France.
Finally, S. Thomas explores the evolving perception of wartime remains in Finnish Lapland. Her chapter examines how materials once dismissed as ‘war junk’ have undergone a process of ‘heritagization’, becoming objects of historical value and local pride. The study emphasises how communities, both local and Sámi, as well as tourists reinterpret and engage with the remnants of war, framing them as part of a living cultural landscape.
Across these chapters, the editor and contributors interrogate not only the physical damage inflicted upon cultural assets but also the institutional responses and ideological currents that influenced preservation efforts during wartime. Among the most compelling contributions are those that assess localised and underexplored contexts, such as the installation of military infrastructure within the Cave of Polyphemus in Sicily or the destruction of the Roman bridge at Canosa di Puglia. These micro-histories are effectively juxtaposed with broader discussions, such as the Allied and the Axis powers’ differing approaches to cultural preservation, as in the case of the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives (MFAA) programme or the controversial German Kunstschutz.
The volume also explores the evolving perception of wartime remains as heritage in their own right, particularly in Finland’s Lapland region. Thomas’s analysis of the ‘heritagization’ of WWII remnants emphasises how post-war memory and local engagement play a crucial role in the redefinition of cultural value, a theme that resonates with ongoing debates about conflict archaeology and contested heritage in global conflict zones. Moreover, several chapters provide important historiographical insights by mobilising previously neglected archival materials and photographic evidence. These include Chidiroglou’s account of the protective strategies employed at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens and Katevas’s exploration of wartime conflicts surrounding the Kerameikos site. These contributions underscore the centrality of documentary recovery in reconstructing wartime heritage narratives. Richly illustrated and grounded in extensive archival material, the volume offers numerous transcriptions and reproductions of original documents, which play a crucial role in supporting and contextualising the historical analysis.
A particularly positive feature of the volume is its forthright engagement with the politicisation of cultural heritage during the war. It critically acknowledges the deployment of propaganda through journals and official reports as well as the complex moral ambiguities inherent in military occupations of cultural sites. Furthermore, the volume thoughtfully presents the significant theme of selective preservation efforts, alongside the concept of restoration/reconstruction of some monuments damaged by the war, understood as damnatio doloris.
The editor’s concluding reflections, anchored in the principles of the 1954 ‘Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict’, powerfully highlight the continued relevance of these historical episodes in shaping present-day international discourse on the protection of cultural heritage. The parallels with recent conflict zones in the Middle East and Europe, such as Ukraine, Syria and Libya, are particularly striking, underscoring how the lessons of the past remain critically urgent today.
While the volume is rich in empirical detail and offers a significant contribution to heritage and conflict studies, a limitation lies in its geographical choice. Despite covering four nations, the emphasis remains heavily on Italy – almost exclusively the south of the country – and Greece, with less attention devoted to the French and the Finnish contexts. Further comparative analysis, along with an expanded geographical scope beyond the four nations considered, would have significantly enhanced the book’s potential. A more expansive and balanced approach would have been necessary to offer a truly comprehensive account of wartime heritage across Europe and to reflect the diversity of experiences and memories that inform our collective historical understanding.
Nonetheless, this volume is a resource for scholars combining historical data with ethical reflection. Archival documentation, particularly photographic material, emerges as an indispensable source for the study and understanding of events and conservation methods for works of art that would otherwise have remained unknown. Among its most compelling features is the attention given to the agency of individuals, such as museum directors, curators, military personnel, scholars and local communities. The volume clearly demonstrates how personal choices, intuition and local leadership often determined the fate of endangered heritage in contexts where institutional systems were overwhelmed or incapacitated. At the same time, the interaction between local, regional, national and supranational entities represented a virtuous case of cooperation. However, since war is not made up of heroes alone, these networks also gave rise to tensions and hostilities, at times to the detriment of cultural heritage.
The relationship between monuments and war, unfortunately, is still pressing today and is treated in the volume with the depth and precision it demands. Recent Italian exhibitions such as: Arte Liberata 1937–1947. Capolavori salvati dalla guerra (Rome, Scuderie del Quirinale, 2022–23) and Fascismo, Resistenza, Libertà. Verona 1943–1945 (Verona, Castelvecchio Museum, 2025) further attest to the continuing relevance of these issues in both scholarly and public discourse. Both exhibitions are accompanied by substantial volumes/catalogues, richly illustrated and documented: the former edited by L. Gallo and R. Morselli, the latter curated by A. Martini, F. Melotto, M. Nezzo and F. Rossi.
In sum, the volume, through its comprehensive documentation, constitutes a substantial contribution to the field by elucidating how war not only endangers cultural heritage but also fundamentally reshapes its representation, interpretation and collective perception over time and across varied geopolitical landscapes. The study foregrounds the intricate relationship between war, memory and heritage, underscoring the complex and evolving narratives that arise as societies endeavour to preserve historic legacies from both physical destruction and ideological manipulation. It thereby reflects the dynamic processes through which heritage is continuously redefined, contested and negotiated within shifting socio-political contexts.
