The recent violent destruction of the ancient city of palmyra in Syria is an assault on the very idea of civilisation. The theme of this lecture is architecture’s power to express cultural values and unite disparate believes. Through architecture we establish a common ground for appreciating past achievements and building a shared future. This is discussed against the background of a changing political landscape, recurrent conflicts, destruction and re-building with the ancient city of Palmyra as the focal point.

Hazel Dogde is the Louis Claude Purser Associate Professor in Classical Archaeology at Trinity College Dublin. With degrees from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne she previously held a fellowship of the British Academy at the University of Oxford. In 2010–11 she was Samuel H. Kress Lecturer of the Archaeological Institute of America, of which she is also a Corresponding Member. In 2013 she held the Frederic Lindley Morgan Visiting Chair in Architectural Design at the University of Louisville, Kentucky. Her research expertise is three-fold: Roman construction and building technology, ancient spectacle and buildings for entertainment, and urbanisation in the ancient world, particularly the development of the City of Rome.

“Futures of the past” looks at buildings of the past and how we think about their future. Aware of the necessarily creative and destructive role of architecture we hold a deep interest in what exists.

These series of talks are a public forum intended to address a range of questions on role, past and present.