Islamic State's latest attack on Palmyra is a picture of the end of civilisation

When Isis blew up three captives tied to the Temple of Baalshamin’s columns, it proved the inseparability of violence against art and violence against humans

It is, in a monstrous way, the picture of the year. This week the latest atrocity reported to have been carried out by Islamic State was illustrated in news reports with a photograph of a mushroom cloud of smoke and dust rising above the ruins of ancient Palmyra. This brutal conjunction of beauty and violence – the remaining columns of the ancient city gold-hued against the leaden plume of destruction floating in the pure blue sky – is an image of sheer fanaticism, unbridled hatred, and the obliteration of everything anyone has ever called civilised.

The picture was released on 25 August, but it is the only possible way to illustrate this week’s story: in a new twist of sadism and barbarity, Isis have reportedly killed three prisoners by tying them to Roman-period columns, then blowing up the columns.

Related: Why it's all right to be more horrified by the razing of Palmyra than mass murder

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