The Iraq War & Archaeology Archive 28

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.

"Babylon loses shine as UN body removes it from World Heritage List," in Iraq Press (UK), online, May 29, 2004: "... UNESCO, has scrapped Babylon from its World Heritage List, raising concerns whether the ancient city still keeps traces of its past glamour. The news has saddened but not shocked Iraqi scientists whose efforts to stop former dictator Saddam Hussein from rebuilding the city went in vain." [this looks to me in error (9-26-04): Babylon was never listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO; el-Hatra, inducted in 1985, was for the longest time the only Iraqi site; at the World Heritage Committee annual meeting in June 2003, Qal'at Sharqat (Ashur) was added and Iraq's tentative list for inclusion at that time contained further only Nimrud (Kalkhu), Samarra, Kuyunjik (Nineveh), el-Ukhaidar, Tell el-Muqayyar (Ur) and Wasit; however, on October 29, 2003, Babil (Babylon) was added to the tentative list together with the southern Marshlands region, but Babylon was still listed on it as of the annual meeting in July-August 2004; I cannot find any other information that would lead me to conclude that Babylon was taken of the Iraqi tentative list either]; "... the [Iraqi] scientists say instead of renovating[,] Saddam Hussein ruined what remained of [Babylon] prompting UNESCO to remove it from its heritage list which currently includes 754 sites." [number of World Heritage sites then; it stands now in September 2004 at 788]; "'The rebuilding (by Saddam Hussein) was not scientific as the builders used modern construction materials such concrete. These stupid practices prompted the UNESCO to delete the name of Babylon from its World Heritage List,’ said Burhan Shakir, head of excavations at the Antiquities Department." [an SBAH official is quoted, giving the statement more weight... but still this article constitutes the only mention]; "With the removal of Babylon, only two other Iraqi sites remain on UNESCO’s heritage list: Hatra and Ashur." [the latter is correct; but Babylon was never on it...]

S. Kimmons, "2nd BCT helps preserve archeological sites," in Hawaii Army Weekly, May 28, 2004: "... when Soldiers of Company B, 65th Engineer Battalion dug into a hill while gathering dirt for Hesco defense barriers in late April. Capt. Nicholas Gianforti, an intelligence officer for the 2nd Brigade Combat Team and an anthropology major from St. John Fisher University, was one of the first to respond to the archeological site after its discovery. ... The hill, indeed, was an archeological site and so were nearby hills in the vicinity of the container village on the west side of the base." [of course, in Iraq, any hills in the flood plain should be assumed to be archaeological unless proven otherwise]; "Throughout the month of May, Co. B, 451st Civil Affairs Battalion, a Reservist unit out of Pasadena, Texas, attached to the 2nd BCT while in Iraq has been inviting local archeologists from the Museum of Antiquities [sic; State Board of Antiquities and Heritage (SBAH)] on base to identify artifacts and other potential archeological sites." "1st Lt. Wes Boyer, Spc. Joel Hilborn and Spc. Lorie Bright, ... are in charge of assisting the local archeologists. 'Once we found out that this was an archeological site, we wanted to preserve and find out where other ones are because we didn't understand the significance of it,' Boyer said. At first the site was believed to be a grave site but closer examination revealed that its animal bones and pottery were related to an ancient settlement and not a contemporary mass grave, Morton said. Some of the pottery found on base is about 5,000 years old and linked to the Yorghun Tepe or Nuzi people of the Hurrian civilization." "... it is important to safeguard these particular sites on base until the Ministry of Agriculture in Baghdad decides what to do with them, Morton said." [surely, the SBAH would be more appropriate?; actually, they did contact them eventually: Kimmons June 22, 2004]

All photos: "Photo(s) by Spc. Sean Kimmons"

Photo 1: "Ghaib Fadil Karem, director of Ministry of Antiquities in Kirkuk (center left) and Soldiers from Co. B, 451st CA look over ancient pottery pieces found on Kirkuk Air Base May 23."

Photo 2: "Ghaib Fadil Karem, director of the Ministry of Antiquities in Kirkuk, Iraq, points out a few pottery pieces that were discovered on Kirkuk Air Base May 23. Some of the pieces are about 5,000 years old."

J. Chambers, "Chaldean center boasts of rich culture and history. $23 million site opens in Dec. in West Bloomfield," in The Detroit News (Michigan), May 27, 2004: "Visitors walking through the doors of the massive brick-and-stone, 92,000-square-foot building should expect a serious history lesson on the last 5,000 years of culture and contributions by Chaldeans, a people who trace their history to ancient Mesopotamia. 'This is going to be our hallmark,' said Miri, president of the Chaldean Iraqi-American Association of Michigan." "Metro Detroit is home to the largest population of Chaldeans — about 100,000 — outside the Middle East." "Association officials are collecting pieces of Chaldean art by working with scholars and historians from around the world and members of the Chaldean community who may have pieces packed away in their homes. Part of the center’s mission is to acquire, exhibit and serve as a permanent home for the artwork. Museum organizers hope to reproduce part of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and craft a time line of the entire 5,000-year history of the Chaldean people. Rosemary Antone, chairwoman of the center, is actively negotiating with the Berlin Museum, the Louvre in Paris, the Detroit Institute of Arts and Cranbrook to acquire artifacts or copies of artifacts for the center." "Another source of artifacts comes from local Iraqis who are cleaning their closets and attics, retrieving stored books, fabrics and silks, hand-woven straw baskets and fans. As part of the museum, the association plans to re-create an Iraqi village with figures, pottery and other items to show what life was really like in a Christian village more than a thousand years ago."
C. Hartman, "Jewish Artifacts Remain in Limbo in Iraq" (sic; they're in the US), in Yahoo! News, May 27, 2004: "Historians at the National Archives [in Washington, DC] ... are examining the treasure trove of materials found in the basement of the headquarters for Saddam Hussein's secret police. The materials are in moderate to poor condition — they remained wet for several weeks after being salvaged, which allowed mold to grow, and some records became detached from their bindings and were lost, according to the Iraqi Jewish Archive Preservation Report." "There are questions about who now owns the documents, where they should be housed and whether money will be available to restore them. It's likely those questions won't be answered until after June 30, or months later, after Iraqis hold elections. When it was found over a year ago, the collection first had to be taken from three feet of mucky water ... A salvage crew heaped the documents in piles, loaded them into sacks and took them to a nearby courtyard, where they were partly dried. Later they were packed into 27 metal trunks and stored in a refrigerated truck to halt the mold. They were then shipped to Texas, where they were freeze-dried to stop the remaining moisture from causing further damage. They are now at a National Archives laboratory. Among the items are a Bible printed in Venice in 1568, rare books on Jewish law, pamphlets and parchment scrolls, including sections of a damaged Torah. Doris Hamburg, in charge of conservation at the National Archives, said a 1,400-year-old Talmud, thought to have been in police hands, is still missing." "Full restoration of the materials retrieved from Baghdad would cost an estimated $1.5 million to $3 million, ..."
"International Coordination Committee for the Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage in Iraq: seven recommendations," in UNESCO (France), online, May 26, 2004: "The International Coordination Committee for the Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage of Iraq (ICC), established under the joint auspices of the Iraqi authorities and UNESCO, concluded its first meeting ... The Committee, whose main task is to provide advice on measures to improve and reinforce international cooperation for the safeguarding of Iraq’s cultural heritage, comprises 25 international experts including three Iraqis. Its members, proposed by UNESCO Member States, are appointed in their personal capacity ..." "2. Assist the Iraqi Ministry of Culture to review, enforce and strengthen its national legislation on cultural heritage, libraries and archives. 3. Assist the Iraqi museums to devise a comprehensive conservation plan as well as a museological programme to enhance national capacities in Iraq in the research, study, documentation and conservation of its cultural heritage." "5. Assist the Ministry of Culture of Iraq to devise a national programme for recording, documenting, assessing conditions, and mapping archaeological sites and elements of the built heritage, with a view to establish an official national registry and a plan for their protection and conservation."
M. Harmon, "Headlinegoeshere [sic]. America can help repair its bruised image by helping stop plundering of the country's national treasures and thereby returning a sense of identity to the Iraqis," in Albuquerque Tribune (New Mexico), May 25, 2004: "The history of Iraq is slowly being erased. As the desecration of archaeological sites continues and artifacts are spirited out of the country, Iraq's connection to the past is being severed. Its people's national identity is being stolen along with priceless information regarding the cradle of civilization, erasing many pages of human history. It's a tragic loss to us all." "The avoidance of civil war is contingent on Iraqis identifying themselves as a national group - as much or more as they identify themselves as Shiites, Sunnis or Kurds. This national identity can be secured by maintaining Iraq's national heritage. ... These [antiquities] are representative of Iraq and the Iraqis themselves, symbolizing their strength and permanence and providing cultural and national identity." "Furthermore, an international effort to stabilize Iraq's heritage, headed by the U.S. coalition, might in some small way help repair the severe damage inflicted on America's world image by the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal."
"Forze della coalizione accusate di trafugare antichità," in socialpress (Italy), May 25, 2004: according to the CPA-sponsored Iraqi newspaper el-Sabah, the archaeological museum in Nasiriyyah has been repeatedly plundered and its library with 4,000 volumes set on fire, seriously damaging the building
"Appeal: Harp-warming tale of treasure," in The Peterborough Evening Telegraph (UK), May 25, 2004: "So Mr Lowings, who is leader of the Stamford Harp Society, set himself the task of making a working model of the [4,750-year-old Bull Harp of Ur], at a cost of £25,000." "Wood from Iraq ... was transported to Austria by the 5131 bomb squad from RAF Wittering, near Peterborough. Craftsmen in Austria have now carved the wooden body of the instrument, and yesterday it was flown to England. Mr Lowings said: 'I am trying to finance this project though donations, although much of the costs have been met by myself." "The next step is for [Iraqi gilder Mohamad Al] Janabi [, from Manchester,] to cover it in semi-precious gem stones and gold." "... half a kilogram of gold, which was donated by Anglo Gold, from South Africa. In addition, Ronnie Baker, from King's Lynn, has agreed to string the instrument, and craftsmen at West Dean College, part of the University of Sussex, are making a bull's head to imitate the original one." [see also The Peterborough Evening Telegraph January 29, 2004 and September 9, 2004]
"Dr. Zainab Bahrani Appointed Deputy Senior Advisor to the Iraqi Ministry of Culture," in U.S. Department of State, online, May 25, 2004: "... Associate Professor, Columbia University has been appointed to work with the Coalition Provisional Authority as Deputy Senior Advisor to the Iraqi Ministry of Culture. Her objective will be to continue the reconstruction at the National Museum and National Library and to identify new opportunities for training and study abroad." [she succeeds Dr. John Russell]
"L’anéantissement du patrimoine culturel irakien. Guerre des civilisations," in Voltaire (France), online, May 24, 2004: in February 2003, member of the French parliament Didier Julia, himself an archaeologist, went to Iraq and helped organize the transfer of 10,000s artifacts from the National Museum in Baghdad into basement spaces which were bricked in at once; Julia, who hid the reason for his trip, was highly criticized within his party, the UMP [party of president Chirac], for alleged collusion with the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein; actually, he was supported in his endeavor by French scientists, in particular those of the review Archeologia Magazine, and had president Chirac's secret support [see however Aeschimann and Perrin October 11, 2004]; the article claims that the American Concil for Cultural Policy (ACCP), esp. Ashton Hawkins, had been good customers in the 1990s of Irshad Yasin, Saddam Hussein's brother-in-law, who stole pieces from museums; it is also claimed that only small fry have been apprehended for looting and smuggling ancient artifacts while the big-scale operation of theft of the National Museum and looting of archaeological sites, led by the same ACCP has been left untouched [really, all this ACCP business is over the top; I don't know of any serious proof for these far-reaching allegations]; the shooting by US military of Sr. Advisor for Culture Cordone's car and the killing of his translator was not an accident but a warning for Cordone not to attempt to stop further looting of sites [again, there's no proof that this incident was anything but one of the many tragic, paranoid overreactions by wary, inexperienced soldiers]; the article also makes the erroneous claim that the US built an air base at Ur–identified with Eridu, another mistake–, obliterating archaeological sacred ground: wrong, the Talil air force base was first constructed when Iraq was still a British protectorate!; the US military destroyed many Umayyad and Abassid monuments during the battle of Najaf recently [that seems more probable]; does all this fit into a plan to annihilate Iraqi culture the easier to replace it with a US one?
"Coalition forces accused of stealing antiquities," in Iraqi Press Monitor (UK), May 24, 2004: "(Al-Sabah) – Customs police in Thee Qar [Dhi Qar, capital Nasiriyyah] have found Iraqi antiquities being smuggled in a car belonging to Italian forces. A high ranking Iraqi security source said customs police caught the car while it was heading toward the Iraqi-Kuwaiti border. The source said it is not a unique event. Coalition forces are practicing wide smuggling operations, and eyewitnesses say British forces have been digging in more than 700 new historical sites. (Al-Sabah is issued daily by the Iraqi Media Network on behalf of the Coalition Provisional Authority.)" [hard to believe, esp. British troops excavating at 700+ sites]
Sh. Ali, "The 'Iraqi Resistance' and Worker-communists," in The Worker-communist Party of Iraq (Canada (?)), online, May 22, 2004: "The situation in Nasiriyyah today May 18th is relatively calm. ... Amidst the recent fighting, the Mahdi army looted the museum, which was full of antiquities. Their justification was even worse than their deed. They say antiquities are earthy treasures, which belong to Mahdi and his army. Some of the stolen artifacts were found the following day in the city bazaar."
R. Schaper, "„Wir brauchen die Machtübergabe“. Bagdads Kulturminister Al-Jazairi über Terror und Folter, über Chaos und Fortschritt im Irak," in Der Tagesspiegel (Germany), May 21, 2004: interview with Iraqi Minister of Culture Mufid el-Jaza'iri: about 15,000 artifacts went missing from the National Museum in Baghdad, only a third have been recovered; most of the ones still missing are probably still in Iraq but it's hard to find them till the security situation improves

Ch. Anthony, "Airmen, Iraqis dig up ancient site," in Air Force Link, May 21, 2004: "Iraqi archeologists have determined [Kirkuk] air base has at least one site with artifacts dating back to between 1200 B.C. and 2600 B.C., possibly predating the ancient Assyrians. Other sites have been identified as potentially containing precious antiquities, but have yet to be excavated." "... in late March when Col. Marcus Beyerle [the 506th Expeditionary Medical Squadron commander] became curious about an area that was being dug up to fill sandbags." "In April, Colonel Beyerle discovered an ancient clay jar that was nearly intact." "A few days later, Maj. Mike Larkin, ... was walking through the site, when he came upon animal bones and shards from clay pots and jars. ... Working with Army Civil Affairs, he brought an Iraqi archeological team to the site May 12. Within minutes of examining the site, more clay shards and a set of small vessels, perhaps shaped from alabaster and probably used to hold medicines, were uncovered. ... Mr. Amin explained that in 1923 an American University archeological team had done some excavations at other 'tels' nearby. Those discoveries gave credence to theories that the first Kurds had settled in the area. 'But Saddam Hussein denied that Kurds had settled here long ago, because he wanted to remove the Kurds from their ancestral land,' Mr. Amin said. 'Now we are free to tell the truth.'" [politics are immediately intruding here: Kirkuk is contested between Arabs, Kurds and Turkomans; anyway, I think that a direct link between the Kurds of today and any population of northern Iraq in the 2nd millennium BC is tenuous at best]

Photo: "Airmen, Iraqis dig up ancient site KIRKUK AIR BASE, Iraq -- Maj. Mike Larkin talks with Sheida Muhammad Amin at a recently discovered archeological site here. Major Larkin is the 506th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron commander, and Mr. Amin is an archeological surveyor for the Kirkuk's department of antiquities. (U.S. Air Force photo by Maj. Charles Anthony) Download Full Image" [too bad there's nothing archaeological to be seen clearly in this photo...]

J. Chaffin, "Civilisation's earliest relics offered on web," in The Financial Times (UK), May 20, 2004: "Hundreds of cylinder seals - stones engraved with pictures and hieroglyphics that were used to stamp clay tablets - have shown up for sale on internet auction sites. Archaeologists and art experts say they have also seen an increase in Mesopotamian statues, cuneiform tablets and other artefacts on the world market. Some claim to have received emails from US soldiers inquiring about the value of items they have brought back as souvenirs." [I have received a few suspicious e-mails but nothing blatant so far]; "Analysts believe the failure to prevent looting at the National Museum in Baghdad was the coalition's first stumble in its attempt to gain the trust of Iraqis after the toppling of Saddam Hussein. While the losses there were less than feared and the coalition has since acted to protect the museum, the estimated 7,000 archaeological sites across the country [an underestimation, I'd put the number in the tens of thousands] - many in dangerous and hard-to-reach places - remain vulnerable. Kristi Clemens, a spokesman for the Coalition Provisional Authority, said a plan was being implemented to guard the sites. 'From everything we've seen and we've been told by Iraqis on the ground, the situation's getting better,' Ms Clemens said, claiming the worst looting had been carried out under Mr Hussein's rule, often by his family." [I'm apalled to see that this sorry excuse is being brought up again: while there is some, mostly anecdotical, evidence for top Ba'ath party people having been involved in antiquities smuggling, it was never on a large scale and totally pales in comparison with what has happened since the 2003 Iraq War]; "Samuel Paley, an archaeologist at the state university of New York at Buffalo, has documented bullet holes in the city of Nimrud where looters fought guards, as well as wall carvings shattered after thieves tried to remove them using hammers. Prof Gibson says he has seen objects on the market from the city of Nippur, one of Iraq's oldest sites, whose excavation he directed in the 1970s. His visit there last May was an exercise in futility. He arranged to pay guards a year's salary to protect the grounds but armed bandits overwhelmed them. When he returned a week later he documented more than 100 new holes at the site. The digging continued through June and July before authorities regained control." "... the world antiquities market is also an imprecise indicator. While some say it is awash with illegal Iraqi goods, others say little has turned up." [the truth lies somewhere in the middle, as far as I know: not much last year but there's been an increase lately]
D. Vaughan, "Czech Republic to offer help in renewing Iraq's cultural legacy," in Radio Prague (Czech Republic), with online audio, May 20, 2004: "The culture minister in the Iraqi governing council, Mufid Jazairi, has just ended a short visit to the Czech Republic, ... Mr Jazairi has a special relationship to this country. He is a Czech citizen, and spent the best part of 40 years here before returning to his native Iraq. ... Mufid Jazairi's son Nisan, who lives here in Prague, attended the talks at the Czech foreign ministry, and told David Vaughan more about the plan. ... 'In the Czech Republic there are a lot of very skillful professionals, who have a lot of experience with reconstruction. This country was also quite damaged by the dictatorship of the Communist Party. Also the transition from dictatorship to free democracy is an experience which people here know very well.'" [ironic: his dad is a leader of the Iraqi Communist Party although it follows a rather pragmatic line nowadays...]; "'There are very urgent demands for security for the archeological sites. There is still a lot of looting, and the coalition forces have not yet built a strong security unit which can preserve these archeological sites. Another problem is that the most important old sites - from the Islamic era - like buildings, like the historical centre of Baghdad, are in terrible condition. And there is also a big danger that commercial activities will destroy these sites, because they are not under the protection of any organization, of any government department. So it's quite possible that these things will disappear.'" [see also Iraqi Press Monitor December 6, 2004]
Th. Ropp, "Seabees' role in Iraq recounted at reunion," in The Arizona Republic, May 17, 2004: "[Navy officer Art] Messer [, a senior chief equipment operator,] said he had learned from Iraqi archaeologists about horrific damage caused to the country's museums. 'Their history is very important to them,' said Messer, ... 'Saddam was digging up relics and selling them to collectors.'" [although such stories are being told, this was not in any way the regular practice of government officials]; "Messer said the Seabees helped rebuild the museums and that he had struck up many friendships with curators, from the Babylon Museum in particular. 'We still exchange e-mail,' ..." [this is heartening]

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).