SB25 HA In war, the Muses Do Not Rest

In the atrium of the National Museum of Serbia, students of the course “In the Footsteps of the Ancient Romans” had the opportunity to listen to a lecture by Dr. Aleksandar Bandović entitled “In War, Muses Do Not Rest”, who is also the author of the exhibition. Dr. Bandović introduced the participants to the activities of German organizations in the territory of occupied Serbia, primarily Belgrade. The goal of the aforementioned organizations was to prove the racial theory of the uniqueness of the Aryan race with the help of archaeological finds from the prehistoric and ancient Roman periods.

During the lecture, the topic was the misuse of science, scientific discoveries, artifacts and young scientists, as well as the ethical dilemma and responsibility for participating in such projects under the slogan of putting science above other goals. At the same time, the participants followed a presentation that, through the content of photographs and documents, complemented Dr. Bandović's lecture and made the participants aware of how it is possible to misuse cultural and scientific heritage by hiding behind the vocabulary of postulates.

The question was also raised about the existence of an ethical dilemma for the scientists who participated in this research, who built successful careers after World War II. After the lecture, Dr. Bandović was open for questions and discussion on this topic.