Libya's vulnerable antiquities

As of last week, Libya's World Heritage Sites seemed to have survived unscathed the fighting between pro and anti-government forces. Given the lingering uncertainty about where things are heading, it's anybody's guess whether that good luck will prevail. (On Friday, Egypt's top archaeologist, Zahi Hawass, warned that his country's antiquity sites were being looted by criminals amid the country's political upheaval.)

The country has been a rich cross-cultural legacy. In the accompanying photo, an image of ancient Cyrene. Founded by the Greeks in the 4th Century BC, Cyrene became a World Heritage Site in 1982. And for good reason: One of the main capitals of the Hellenistic era, it retained its greatness throughout the Roman era until it suffered a devastating earthquake 365 AD.