ST. PETERSBURG, April 2. /TASS/. Russian archaeologists have handed over all physical artifacts discovered during excavations in the ancient city of Palmyra to Syrian museums, Doctor of Historical Sciences, professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), and head of the Institute for the History of Material Culture of the RAS Andrey Polyakov said in an interview with TASS.

"Of course, all the artifacts remained in Syria. Only digital models were taken to St. Petersburg (where the Institute for the History of Material Culture of the RAS is located – TASS), and their study has already been completed at this stage," Polyakov said. He added that Russian archaeologists primarily conducted excavations around the foundation of the monumental arch of Palmyra, which was destroyed in 2015, in order to examine its cultural layer and verify its preservation. Their goal was to determine whether the arch could be rebuilt on the existing foundation, whether it required reinforcement, or needed to be reconstructed entirely.

"Fortunately, it turned out that the foundation was solid enough to support the reconstruction of the arch," Polyakov said.

Previously, TASS reported that UNESCO had recognized the Russian project for the reconstruction of the monumental arch of Palmyra as one of the best in the world in responding to catastrophic situations.

The Palmyra project

Russian specialists, together with their Syrian colleagues, took part in studying Palmyra’s damaged monuments and developing the restoration project for the triumphal arch, which was destroyed in 2015. To prepare the site for restoration, experts cleared the rubble, scanned each block, and created a virtual model of the arch as it existed before the explosion. For the first time, archaeological studies of the foundation of the structure and the cultural layer around the arch were conducted. Work on the project was suspended due to the difficult political situation in Syria. Earlier, Russian scientists also initiated the creation of a complete 3D model of the ancient city in its modern form, taking into account recent destruction. Palmyra (Tadmor) was one of the richest cities of late antiquity in the oasis of the Syrian desert between Damascus and the Euphrates. According to legend, the city was founded by the biblical King Solomon. The ruins of Palmyra are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.