Editing Cyrene, Libya (section)

===Modern history===
The site was totally abandoned in the early modern period. [[Frederick William Beechey|Frederick]] and [[Richard Brydges Beechey|Richard Beechey]] visited and produced the first site plans in 1821-1822. The French consul at Benghazi looted part of a tomb later in the century for the [[Louvre]]. The first systematic excavations were undertaken by [[Robert Murdoch Smith]] and E. A. Porcher in 1860 and 1861; their findings mostly went to the [[British Museum]].{{sfn|Kenrick|2013|p=15}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Person/organisation: Sir Robert Murdoch Smith [Search for 'Robert Murdoch Smith'] |url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/search?agent=Sir%20Robert%20Murdoch%20Smith |website=British Museum Collection |access-date=2023-09-14}}</ref> They include the Apollo of Cyrene and a unique bronze head of an African man.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/gr/c/marble_statue_of_apollo.aspx |title=Colossal marble statue of Apollo |website=British Museum Highlights |access-date=2016-07-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018131014/http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/gr/c/marble_statue_of_apollo.aspx|archive-date=2015-10-18|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/gr/b/bronze_portrait_of_a_man.aspx |title=Bronze portrait of a man |website=British Museum Highlights |access-date=2016-07-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018124421/http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/gr/b/bronze_portrait_of_a_man.aspx|archive-date=2015-10-18|url-status=dead}}</ref> The American [[Richard Norton (archaeologist)|Richard Norton]] began more scientific excavations in 1910, which were halted by the [[Italian invasion of Libya]] in 1911.{{sfn|Kenrick|2013|p=15}} The tomb of the excavation's epigrapher, Herbert de Cou, who was shot in mysterious circumstances, is located on the site.{{sfn|Kenrick|2013|p=237}} 

The Italian colonial government established a military base at the site in 1913.{{sfn|Kenrick|2013|p=151}} In the course of building the base, Italian soldiers found the "[[Venus of Cyrene]]", a headless marble statue representing the goddess Venus, a Roman copy of a Greek original, which prompted them to restrict their base to the Acropolis. The statue was transported to Rome, where it remained until 2008, when it was returned to Libya.<ref>{{cite web |website=Platform ArThemis |publisher=Art-Law Centre, University of Geneva |url=https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/venus-of-cyrene-2013-italy-and-libya|author1=Alessandro Chechi |author2=Anne Laure Bandle |author3=Marc-André Renold |title=Case: Venus of Cyrene – Italy and Libya |access-date=2013-12-09 |archive-date=2013-12-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213075441/https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/venus-of-cyrene-2013-italy-and-libya |url-status=live}}</ref> The village of Shahat grew up on the site as a result of the Italian presence.{{sfn|Kenrick|2013|p=151}}

The Italians created an antiquities service and, after the discovery of the Venus of Cyrene, carried out excavations at Cyrene on a very large scale, which were closely connected with the regime's propaganda. The Italian archaeologists were expelled in 1943 when the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] captured Cyrenaica.{{sfn|Kenrick|2013|p=15}} [[Richard Goodchild]], controller of antiquities from 1955 to 1966 moved the village of Shahat off the site and re-established it to the south; it has since expanded over much of the southern necropolis.{{sfn|Kenrick|2013|p=151}} He also restored control of excavations at the site to the Italians, under {{ill|Sandro Stucchi|it}}. Goodchild also The Italian mission has excavated much of the site and restored several buildings through the process of [[anastylosis]].{{sfn|Kenrick|2013|p=16}}  

The site was declared a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]] in 1982.<ref>{{cite web |title=Archaeological Site of Cyrene |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/190 |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre}}</ref> Beginning in 2006, the [[Global Heritage Fund]], in partnership with the [[Second University of Naples]] (SUN, Italy), the [[Libya]]n Department of Antiquities, and the Libyan Ministry of Culture, worked to preserve the ancient site through a combination of holistic conservation practices and training of local skilled and unskilled labor. The [[Global Heritage Fund|GHF]]-led team conducted ongoing emergency conservation on the [[Greek theatre of Cyrene|theater]] inside the [[Sanctuary of Apollo]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Cyrene, Libya |website=Where We Work |publisher=Global Heritage Fund (GHF) |url=http://globalheritagefund.org/where/cyrene.html |access-date=2009-04-27 |archive-date=2009-04-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090409122745/http://globalheritagefund.org/where/cyrene.html}}</ref>

In 2017 [[UNESCO]] added Cyrene to its [[List of World Heritage in Danger]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Archaeological Site of Cyrene (Libya) |work=UNESCO |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/190/documents |access-date=2017-10-21 |archive-date=2017-10-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171022032750/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/190/documents|url-status=live}}</ref>