The Iraq War & Archaeology Archive 17

The Iraq War & Archaeology
Reviewed Articles Archive Seventeen: First 1/2 of December 2003

This is the seventeenth archive of the reviewed articles of The Iraq War & Archaeology web site.

Francis Deblauwe, Ph.D.

The articles and other information are listed chronologically, most recent first.

Archive Seventy-Five: May 2006
Archive Seventy-Four: 2nd 1/2 of April 2006
Archive Seventy-Three: 1st 1/2 of April 2006
Archive Seventy-Two: 2nd 1/2 of March 2006
Archive Seventy-One: 1st 1/2 of March 2006
Archive Seventy: 2nd 1/2 of February 2006
Archive Sixty-Nine: 1st 1/2 of February 2006
Archive Sixty-Eight: 2nd 1/2 of January 2006
Archive Sixty-Seven: 1st 1/2 of January 2006
Archive Sixty-Six: 2nd 1/2 of December 2005
Archive Sixty-Five: 1st 1/2 of December 2005
Archive Sixty-Four: 2nd 1/2 of November 2005
Archive Sixty-Three: 1st 1/2 of November 2005
Archive Sixty-Two: 2nd 1/2 of October 2005
Archive Sixty-One: 1st 1/2 of October 2005
Archive Sixty: 2nd 1/2 of September 2005
Archive Fifty-Nine: 1st 1/2 of September 2005
Archive Fifty-Eight: 2nd 1/2 of August 2005
Archive Fifty-Seven: 1st 1/2 of August 2005
Archive Fifty-Six: 2nd 1/2 of July 2005
Archive Fifty-Five: 1st 1/2 of July 2005
Archive Fifty-Four: 2nd 1/2 of June 2005
Archive Fifty-Three: 1st 1/2 of June 2005
Archive Fifty-Two: 2nd 1/2 of May 2005
Archive Fifty-One: 1st 1/2 of May 2005
Archive Fifty: 2nd 1/2 of April 2005
Archive Forty-Nine: 1st 1/2 of April 2005
Archive Forty-Eight: 2nd 1/2 of March 2005
Archive Forty-Seven: 1st 1/2 of March 2005
Archive Forty-Six: 2nd 1/2 of February 2005
Archive Forty-Five: 1st 1/2 of February 2005
Archive Forty-Four: 2nd 1/2 of January 2005
Archive Forty-Three: 1st 1/2 of January 2005
Archive Forty-Two: 2nd 1/2 of December 2004
Archive Forty-One: 1st 1/2 of December 2004
Archive Forty: 2nd 1/2 of November 2004
Archive Thirty-Nine: 1st 1/2 of November 2004
Archive Thirty-Eight: 2nd 1/2 of October 2004
Archive Thirty-Seven: 1st 1/2 of October 2004
Archive Thirty-Six: 2nd 1/2 of September 2004
Archive Thirty-Five: 1st 1/2 of September 2004
Archive Thirty-Four: 2nd 1/2 of August 2004
Archive Thirty-Three: 1st 1/2 of August 2004
Archive Thirty-Two: 2nd 1/2 of July 2004
Archive Thirty-One: 1st 1/2 of July 2004
Archive Thirty: 2nd 1/2 of June 2004
Archive Twenty-Nine: 1st 1/2 of June 2004
Archive Twenty-Eight: 2nd 1/2 of May 2004
Archive Twenty-Seven: 1st 1/2 of May 2004
Archive Twenty-Six: 2nd 1/2 of April 2004
Archive Twenty-Five: 1st 1/2 of April 2004
Archive Twenty-Four: 2nd 1/2 of March 2004
Archive Twenty-Three: 1st 1/2 of March 2004
Archive Twenty-Two: 2nd 1/2 of February 2004
Archive Twenty-One: 1st 1/2 of February 2004
Archive Twenty: 2nd 1/2 of January 2004
Archive Nineteen: 1st 1/2 of January 2004
Archive Eighteen: 2nd 1/2 of December 2003
Archive Seventeen: 1st 1/2 of December 2003
Archive Sixteen: 2nd 1/2 of November 2003
Archive Fifteen: 1st 1/2 of November 2003
Archive Fourteen: 2nd 1/2 of October 2003
Archive Thirteen: 1st 1/2 of October 2003
Archive Twelve: 2nd 1/2 of September 2003
Archive Eleven: 1st 1/2 of September 2003
Archive Ten: 2nd 1/2 of August 2003
Archive Nine: 1st 1/2 of August 2003
Archive Eight: 2nd 1/2 of July 2003
Archive Seven: 1st 1/2 of July 2003
Archive Six: 2nd 1/2 of June 2003
Archive Five: 1st 1/2 of June 2003
Archive Four: 2nd 1/2 of May 2003
Archive Three: 1st 1/2 of May 2003
Archive Two: 2nd 1/2 of April 2003
Archive One: 1st 1/2 of April 2003
Archive Zero: through the 2nd 1/2 of March 2003

Almost all are accessible for free (or after a free registration) on the internet. Each time, I try to draw attention to the most relevant tidbits of information, esp. things that were not mentioned before; occasionally, I provide some comment. The usual warning applies: many links become defective with time. Inclusion in the list does not in any way mean that I necessarily agree with the opinions expressed in an article. But for a few exceptions, the occasional photos and figures accompanying reviewed articles are just hotlinked images on other web sites, in other words: do not download them or request permission to publish them from me, for I do not own the copyright to them in any way! Please do contact the rightful owners if you would like to use them for publication purposes. Finally, for the sake of convenience, all articles and so on are assumed to have been published on US web sites unless indicated otherwise.

B. Hiel, "'This Was the Last View They Had,'" in Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, December 15, 2003: "This is how Saddam Hussein's victims should be uncovered: a meticulous reconstruction of the crime scene, careful identification of as many bodies as possible. But with too few experts and too many graves, it rarely happens so neatly. [Danish forensic archaeologist Peter] Mikklesen motions to more than 30 spent bullet cartridges in a line in the sand. Small pink flags on wires are poked beside half-buried clothing, a coin and human remains -- a tooth, a partial leg bone. 'That's one full clip.' Jon Sterenberg, a British archaeologist with the [CPA]'s forensic team, stares at another pile of shell casings. 'Someone fired into the pit, and some others stood around near the pit, shooting in.' The Danish team -- two forensic archeologists, a physical anthropologist, a land surveyor and a criminal investigator -- came to Iraq, despite security threats, to spend six weeks assessing grave sites. They hope to identify eight to 20 sites, two from each 'key period of atrocity,' according to Sandra Hodgkinson, human-rights director of the [CPA] in Baghdad." "They follow the same techniques used to excavate archaeological sites, explains team leader Bo Madsen, a forensic archaeologist. 'There are two trains of thought: Either you go for the bodies or for the evidence,' says Sterenberg. 'But with archaeology, you get both.'" "For now, most of the dead will remain buried. The bodies are covered and marked, so a full exhumation team can find the isolated site later. The information gathered here will go into a central database on loan from the International Committee for Missing Persons. The process will be a long one. Exhuming an average grave -- from 100 to 300 bodies -- can take four to six weeks, according to Sterenberg." [see also McCarthy October 14, 2004]
N. Ouroussoff, "In Search of Baghdad. A Crumbling Cultural History," in Los Angeles Times, December 14, 2003: "... the decades-long search for the Round City. Constructed by the Abbasid caliph Al Mansour in the 8th century, the city was a dazzling image of military precision. Its domed palace, surrounded by circular bands of housing for court officials and government offices, evoked a perfectly ordered universe. 'It was the beginning of Baghdad,' [Dr. Donny] George says, wiping sweat from his forehead. 'We found traces of it on the banks of the Tigris River. There are walls, pottery that go back to that period.'" "The Round City is a case in point. To Iraqis, it is a poignant symbol of the city's cultural flowering. Yet few historians can agree on its exact location; most believe that it existed only a short time before it vanished, swallowed up by the vibrant cosmopolitan center created by Al Mansour's more famous grandson, Haroun al Rashid. Loss is everywhere in Baghdad. It is, in many ways, the city's defining characteristic. And if it seems impossible to conceive the city's reconstruction amid a guerrilla war, it is equally impossible to imagine healing the city's cultural wounds without first confronting its painful past. For better or worse, it will form the foundations for any vision of the city's future."
E. Gubel, "Iraq Day Brussels," in Iraqcrisis, online, December 10, 2003: "... the Iraq Day organized by the Italian Cultural Institute [in Brussels, corollary to the "Archeological Sites in Iraq Before and After the War" exhibition] ..." "General Ugo Zottin showed impressive (and saddening) evidence of the lootings recorded by the Carabinieri team. The accounts of G. Gullini, P. Cordone [formerly CPA], M. Bondioli Osio [CPA], F. Caruso, A. Armellini, R. Parapetti, M. Bouchenaki [UNESCO] and of course, Donny George (who estimates the losses to represent some 14.000 artefacts) provided hope for the future, as several plans are actually executed on the terrain. Jordan’s Director General of the department of Antiquities F. Khreisheh corroborated such hope in showing artefacts recently confiscated by the Jordanian customs, including one of the ivory chair-backs in North Syrian style from Nimrud."
"Verfall und Zerstörung in Kriegsländern. Forscher sorgen sich um Denkmäler in Irak und Afghanistan," in Mitteldeutschen Zeitung (Germany), December 9, 2003: in its annual report presented in Berlin, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) expresses grave concern regarding Afghanistan and Iraq: German ICOMOS president Michael Petzet said that Iraq is right now nearly impossible to deal with, the experts can't do anything there till the security situation improves; the losses suffered by the libraries, archives and the National Museum cannot yet fully be ascertained
J.-P. Perrin, "Quand les GI sacrifient Abraham en Chaldée. Leur base, installée sur le site archéologique d'Our, en éloigne les Irakiens, pas les tribus qui pillent la région," in Libération (France), December 8, 2003: US soldiers wouldn't let Perrin visit the Warka (Ur) site which is now part of their camp, finally the "Ancient Babylon" contingent of Italian carabinieri who are protecting archaeological remains took him inside; local tribal leader sheikh Ali el-Qhay claims credit for the site not having been looted; most tribes in the Dhi Qar province are more interested in looting sites, says Abdul-Amir el-Hamdani, the provincial antiquities official; there are about 800 sites in his province of which only 12 have been professionally excavated; 112 civilian guards are now paid by the CPA to protect the most important archaeological sites; even with the help of archaeology-specialized carabinieri it's an impossible task; already, 22 looters were bailed out from their 6-month prison terms; last month, 19 looters were arrested, nothing but a drop in the bucket though; the carabinieri are now billeted in the museum in Nasiriyyah and el-Hamdani still doesn't have the use of his museum

K. Helmer, "U.S. Military Hopes Tourists Will Dig 'Exorcist' Archaeological Site," in Stars and Stripes. European Edition, December 7, 2003: now wait a minute, the US military shouldn't encourage amateur excavations at Iraqi archaeological sites ... oops, other meaning of "dig" ;-)} ; "... Lt. Col. Kevin Felix, 40, commander of the 2nd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division. ... said that with fewer funds available for local projects, he had to come up with a way to bring money to the poor area in northern Iraq, ... His soldiers hired and trained local tour guides." "Though [Hatra] is known among archaeologists and history buffs, soldiers may recognize it from the movie 'The Exorcist.' In the beginning of the film, an old man encounters a demon at an archaeological site. That scene was filmed in Hatra. 'That’s because that place is the devil,' laughed Pfc. Aaron Heningcamp, 19, an artilleryman from Johnstown, Pa. He and five other soldiers sweated out the stifling summer at the ruins to provide security and deter looters. Soldiers have since turned over security to the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps."

Photo 1: "Kendra Helmer / S&S - First Lt. Ted Ruzicka, fire direction officer with the 2nd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, stands at the entrance to the 2,000-year-old ruins of the city of Hatra. Ruzicka hired tour guides and is giving them guidance to bring tourism to the area, about 70 miles southwest of Mosul in northern Iraq."

Photo 2: "Kendra Helmer / S&S - A soldier with the 2nd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, bundles up against the cold rain outside ... Hatra, ..."

Photo 3: "Kendra Helmer / S&S - First Lt. Ted Ruzicka, fire direction officer ... looks out at the 2,000-year-old ruins of the city of Hatra. The newer building below him houses local Iraqi security who have taken over guarding the ruins."

K. Dabrowska, "Tourism in Iraq: The Paris of the Middle East Will Rise From the Ashes," in KurdishMedia.com (UK), online, December 6, 2003: "At a recent forum at the Smithsonian Institution, the Director of the Iraq National Museum, Dr Donny George Youkhanna, identified two construction projects that had destroyed archaeological sites. He is afraid this will become common place unless companies are required to work closely with existing archaeological infrastructure, giving the State Board of Antiquities enough time to organise salvage digs to rescue an estimated 10,000 endangered sites. Perhaps the war has enhanced the country’s archaeological profile. Tragically little has been done to preserve the cultural heritage or to promote tourism during the past 30 years. In the 1970s tourism was in its infancy in the Middle East." "During the 1980s the Baathist regime of Saddam Hussein went to great lengths to encourage visitors. But the promotion of Iraq was hindered by its increasing repression ... the eight year Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988) discouraged visitors as did difficulties in obtaining visas. The period between the end of the Iran-Iraq War ... and the start of the second Gulf war (1992) [sic] was not an auspicious time for the development of tourism." "Iraqi cultural centres in Europe held exhibitions and made some attempt to promote the country. The monthly cultural magazine Ur proved to be extremely informative rather than propagandistic. After the second Gulf war and the imposition of sanctions, the tourist industry, ... could be described more accurately a non-industry, ..." "As the latest war loomed on the horizon the Iraqis became increasingly welcoming, ..." "A new Ministry of Culture is being built and a Ministry of Tourism may follow. It will be starting largely from zero: the ancient sites will have to be renovated, guides trained, pamphlets produced. But apart from oil the country has few other income-generating resources." "Even when the dust settles, Iraq will be a niche tourism market rather than a mass market for Westerners. Specialist companies focusing on ancient history and archaeology ... may add Iraq to their itineraries – sometime in 2005 or later! At present only a few daredevils brave bandits and bullets to get to Baghdad from Amman by road." "Times correspondent Simon Jenkins who visited Iraq in November 2003 said the Marsh Arabs reminded him of the Nile inhabitants of Luxor, after the building of the Aswan Dam, 'Yes, they had opposed it. Yes, Saddam had treated them appallingly and their traditional way of life had been ruined. But no, they did not want Western romantics to return them to the Middle Ages. The Marsh Arabs I met had no wish to be a theme par[k] for Thesiger groupies.'"
G. Van der Speeten, "Unesco werkt aan plan voor culturele heropbouw Irak," in De Standaard (Belgium), December 6, 2003: at the "Archeological Sites in Iraq Before and After the War" exhibition conference in Brussels today, Mounir Bouchenaki, "Director of Archaeology" at UNESCO said that UNESCO now has US$4 million for cultural heritage reconstruction projects in Iraq; there'll be a UNESCO meeting with the Iraqi intelligentsia in Paris in early 2004 about the role Europe should play in the cultural renaissance of Iraq; 17 Iraqi archaeological sites have definitely been looted [that's my number too; glad to see I'm in agreement with my colleagues]; the Italian carabinieri are taking the lead in organizing the protection of the sites; the site guards' uniforms, all-terrain vehicles and money for salaries are in place; Japan and Italy are paying for the refurbishing of the archaeological laboratories; Donny George Hannah [sic; Youkhannah] said that a total of 4,000 artifacts including 5,000 seals [sic: 14,000 total missing, see Gubel December 10] had gone missing from the Museum and that the repairs to the facility could take up to 2 years although there's a small chance that there'll be an exhibition in April; last October, palace reliefs in Niniveh were recorded by the Italians using stereophotogrametry; the exhibition's center piece is a copy of the Lady of Warka

M. Janofsky, "At U.S. Meeting, Iraq Appears Open for Business," in The New York Times, December 5, 2003

Photo: "Doug Mills/The New York Times
John Simmons, center, attended a two-day conference in Arlington, Va., with others interested in pursuing business projects in Iraq" [this is a tad confusing: John Simmons' Baghdad Museum Project is not a for-profit venture]

"Italy Shows Treasures of Iraq's Niniveh Palace in Brussels," in Italian Presidency of the European Union (Italy), online, December 4, 2003: "Artefacts and photographs are on show ... an exhibition ... entitled 'Archeological Sites in Iraq Before and After the War.' For the first time an international seminar will discuss the work carried out in Iraq by Italy, which has been appointed the guardian of Iraq's immense archeological heritage by the provisional administration there. Italy is responsible for recovering and safeguarding Iraqi artefacts and archeological sites, ..." [this is somewhat overstated: Americans esp. played and play an important role in this effort too]; "It will also be an opportunity to detail all the works [sic] carried out to safeguard Iraq's heritage and the project in Nineveh, ..." "... organised by the Italian Institute of Culture in Belgium."

Photo: "(3) Bodies of diplomats return to Japan with relatives. NARITA, Japan - Honor guards spread national flags over the coffins containing the bodies of two slain Japanese diplomats, Katsuhiko Oku (L) and Masamori Inoue, at Narita airport, east of Tokyo, on Dec. 4 [, 2003]. (Kyodo)" [Kyodo News Photos; the diplomats were involved in planning for cultural-heritage protection and preservation projects in Iraq]

F. D'Emilio, "Nations Battle Illicit Antiquities Trade," in The Atlanta Constitution-Journal, December 4, 2003: "The crusade to save ancient heritage has been invigorated by the public outcry over the looting of Iraq's national museum after the fall of Baghdad, which 'served to galvanize the world's attention,' said Jane C. Waldbaum, president of the [AIA]." "In October, Switzerland ratified the 1970 UNESCO treaty, which allows countries to reclaim illegally acquired cultural artifacts. Britain signed in 2002. 'We have made enormous progress,'' Andrea Rascher, who heads international and legal affairs at the Swiss Federal Office of Culture in Bern, ... A new Swiss law extends the span on what's known as 'good faith acquisition' from five to 30 years. ... The Swiss antiquities business now has what Rascher called 'tougher diligence' rules, requiring them to record every piece that enters their shops. Last month, Swiss authorities handed over to the Egyptian government two mummies, sarcophagi and masks that were among some 200 objects discovered in a customs warehouse in Geneva." "Saying it could help counter pressure on museums to purchase more antiquities, Waldbaum noted a U.S.-Italian accord that permits long-term loans of Italian treasures, including many kept in storehouses because Italy's museums have no more room."
[J. Curtis], "Conference in Brussels on 'Archaeological sites in Iraq before and after the war' Conference in Brussels on 'Archaeological sites in Iraq before and after the war' [sic]," in The British Museum: Iraq Crisis (UK), online, December 4-5, 2003: [1-18-05: I somehow forgot to review this report quickly: better late than never] "The conference was organised by the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Brussels. ... in the Royal Academy in Brussels where an exhibition of photographs had been mounted, mainly of reliefs in Sennacherib’s Palace at Nineveh. There were also some small pieces of original relief. A booklet was available in various languages about the conference and the exhibition." "Mario Bondioli Osio (head of cultural affairs in the Coalition Provisional Authority) started his presentation by asking for one minute’s silence for the two Japanese diplomats who had been killed on their way to Kirkuk to ascertain what Kirkuk Museum needed, as they were also proposing to help provincial museums. He said that the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Culture would be located in renovated buildings on Haifa Street. The new National Library would be in what used to be the Republican Guards’ headquarters." "... [McGuire Gibson] explained that the Oriental Institute of Chicago has spent the last 13 years documenting archaeological sites from survey and satellite images. Five-thousand had been noted to date, which is a fraction of the true number; thirdly, he expressed the view that for at least the next decade archaeologists will be preoccupied with reconstruction, and excavation at large sites will not be possible for the conceivable future." "Donny George (Iraq Department of Antiquities and Heritage) said that $1,700,000 had now been allocated for the refurbishment of the Iraq Museum. ... The Babylon museum had already been restored, as had the Baquba Museum but the latter had subsequently been destroyed by a bomb in the next-door police station. The French cultural attaché had promised to build a museum in Samarra." "Helga Trenkwalder (University of Innsbruck) described how she had been in Iraq in April-May, when Austria had been able to provide some immediate ad hoc assistance, and again in October. During the latter visit she was struck by the fact that the museum perimeter was still not being properly safeguarded. Also, at Babylon she saw archaeological deposits being removed by shovel to create earthwork defences. This was happening in spite of the protests of Dr Miriam who was now in charge of Babylon. At Borsippa a small amount of work was ongoing. Paolo Battino (Italian-Iraqi Institute in Baghdad) described how the new laboratory was a complex of six rooms, and he said the installation work should be completed by the end of the year. Roberto Parapetti (Director of the Italian-Iraqi Centre for the Restoration of Monuments) said he was involved in trying to prepare exhibitions for the reopening of the Iraq Museum. He wanted to set up a 'minimum visit' in the museum in order to give people the idea that things were getting back to normal." "... the 'Nineveh project', which is an Italian initiative to record and restore the reliefs in the Palace of Sennacherib at Nineveh. Dr Giuseppe Proietti (Director-General of Antiquities of Italy) said that equipment for the Iraq Museum laboratory will be sent on a military flight to Baghdad Airport as soon as it reopens. He reported that he last visited the Palace in September and found it badly damaged, mostly by vandalism."
"Iraq: Italia presenta a Bruxelles tesori palazzo di Ninive," in l'Ansa (Italy), December 3, 2003: on the occasion of the "Archeological Sites in Iraq Before and After the War" exhibition in Brussels there will be a scientific conference this Friday with Dr. Antonio Invernizzi and scholars from the US, Europe, Japan and the Middle East
J. Krane, "Looter-Ravaged Baghdad Natural History Museum Reopens," in Anchorage Daily News (Alaska), December 3, 2003: "Piecing the sanctuary back together became the six-month task of the U.S. Army's 16th Engineer Battalion, ..." "Still, most of the museum's refurbished display cases remain empty." "The destruction of the natural history museum received much less attention than the April looting of the Iraqi National Museum, ... Only about 2,000 of [the National Museum's] 13,000 looted treasures have so far been recovered, and the National Museum remains closed and under Iraqi police guard."; the opening was presided over by "Joseph Ghougassian, a Coalition Provisional Authority education adviser and a former U.S. ambassador to Iraq."
"Iranian Drug Dealers Said To Distribute Narcotics in Iraqi Holy Cities," in TIDES Iraq Reconstruction Report, online, 32 (December 2, 2003): "London, UK: Al-Hayah in Arabic 28 Nov 03 p 1 <Unattributed report: ..." "For his part, the media officer of the Karbala police department has admitted that 'the presence of Iranian drug dealers has raised a new problem within the province, as it has facilitated the smuggling abroad of archeological treasures. This practice involves antiquities smugglers who give away, inside tourist hotels, the stolen archeological pieces against quantities of drugs.'"
N. Burleigh, "Out of Touch," in TomPaine.com, online, December 1, 2003: "Take the recent Second Annual Columbia Seminar on Art in Society in New York City, where panelists vented on the subject of 'Cultural Heritage in War: Moral and Military Choices,' where any perspective other than one voiced by Iraqis prevailed." "Take for example, Edward N. Luttwak, ... said he had urged the view that in fact the Iraqis were just settled nomads who would run amok. But his view had not prevailed, he said, though he'd been proven right. He pointed out that in most civilized countries, looting is carried out under cover of night. The Iraqi looters, though, looted in broad daylight, reflective of their clearly inferior 'national character.' Few and far between were audience members foolhardy enough to rise and question that blatantly racist assertion, or any of the other provocative (to put it politely) remarks he made about Iraq, a land he has never visited and wherein is spoken a language he has never studied." "The Columbia panel did include an Iraqi-born person, art historian Zeinab Bahrani. She described the plundering of the Iraq museum, but her speech was the shortest ..."

This site is edited by Belgian archaeologist Francis Deblauwe, Ph.D., living in Streamwood, Illinois (USA), who is affiliated with Archaeos, Inc., and a research associate of the University of Vienna (Austria).