The ravages of war are never confined to the battlefield. The costs are borne by all of society, and when bombs destroy monuments, artworks and irreplaceable archives, the losses are measured not just in lives and property but in broader historical terms.
Identity, memory, and cultural heritage are what sustain a society through its darkest hours, and their destruction erodes civilization itself.
By the same token, the desecration or loss of items that a culture holds sacred can fuel new cycles of grievance, despair and righteous violence.
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