The Iraq War & Archaeology
Reviewed Articles Archive Thirty-Eight: Second 1/2 of October 2004





This is the thirty-eighth 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.
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.

  • E. Harris, "U.S., Allies Leave Mark on History in Iraq," in Yahoo! News, online, October 28, 2004: "... now, apparently, Sgt. Woods and 'O-Dog.' U.S. soldiers are the latest in a long line of powerful forces visited on ancient Babylon and they've left their mark, in graffiti scratched into walls Saddam added in hopes of joining his predecessors' pantheon." "'The Americans are here. They've occupied the country and put Saddam away, and I think everyone appreciates that,' said Donny George, a Ministry of Culture official who directed an archaeological dig at Babylon during Saddam's time. 'But going back to these ancient cities, it does nothing for the image of the Americans,' George said. The English-language graffiti isn't widespread and doesn't appear to have done extensive harm. Arabic script is also scrawled on the walls." [Maj. David] Gilleran [an Army chaplain] offers words of caution, though: 'America's a young country. We have Jamestown, Williamsburg. This is another, 3,000 years older. Americans need to stop and think a bit. We're a great power, but we weren't the first. We need to treat sites like this with reverence.' Then, pointing up to a Saddam-era palace looming over the ruins, he lays out his own scenario for the future: 'It's possible to imagine a Marriott ... with a five-star restaurant. There could be a bed and breakfast up there.'"

    Photo: "Thu Oct 28, 3:09 AM ET - U.S. Army soldiers tour through the rebuilt ruins of Babylon, Iraq ... Oct. 20, 2004. U.S. soldiers are the latest in a long line of powerful forces visited on 4,000 year-old Babylon, and they have left their mark, in graffiti scratched into walls Saddam Hussein ... added in hopes of joining his predecessors' pantheon. (AP Photo/John Moore)"
  • M. Softky, "From ancient ruins to tourist destinations. Startup foundation seeks to save and restore cradles of civilization on five continents, including in China, India, Russia, Vietnam, Guatemala, Libya, Peru -- and Iraq," in The Almanac (California), 40, 7 (October 20, 2004): "'I'm bullish on Iraq.' Jeff Morgan of Menlo Park ..." "The Global Heritage Fund (GHF), founded in March 2001, ... is taking on the biggest challenge of all. Iraq hosts hundreds of the most ancient and important archaeological sites in the world. The names Nineveh, Babylon, Samarra and Ur are burned into the memories of school children everywhere. While antiquities in Iraq have suffered devastation from looting, war, and the current fighting, Mr. Morgan and his foundation are planning for a time when Iraq becomes stable again. 'We believe tourism will be the No. 1 industry in Iraq -- after oil,' ..." "... in June[,] GHF and the World Bank co-sponsored a conference for Iraqi archaeologists in the famous tourist attraction of Petra, ... Thirty specialists in all aspects of antiquities from all over Iraq spent 10 days in a hands-on workshop, learning what needs to be done to preserve and restore their endangered sites. 'They thought they were coming for a nice trip to Jordan,' says Mr. Morgan with a chuckle. 'We made them work for 10 days straight to develop site-management plans for the top five sites. And we did it all in Arabic.' Out of the conference came five master conservation plan outlines for the five most endangered sites out of the 16 sites that might qualify as world heritage sites for the United Nations. ... This process can move forward as soon as Iraq calms down, Mr. Morgan says. 'People don't want war,' he says. 'All the people I met from Iraq are very positive about the prospects for having a country. They're happy they're free, but very scared for their children.'" "Son of Silicon Valley powerhouses James and Becky Morgan, Jeff was trained as a city planner at Cornell University, and worked for years with big-name companies and startups, here and abroad. ... Mr. Morgan and archaeologist Ian Hodder, chairman of Stanford's Archaeology Department, co-founded the Global Heritage Fund ... Its goal is not only to preserve and restore ancient cultural sites, but to promote tourism around them, and develop self-sustaining, healthy communities. To this task Mr. Morgan is bringing Silicon Valley know-how and organization to some of the most unlikely spots on earth. His technique is to recruit donors and partners where the money and expertise are, and then build partnerships and funding in the receiving country." ".... GHF is now paying for 100 Iraqi guards to protect Sumerian sites in the south from rampant looting." "GHF is also supporting the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, which is working with the Iraqis. Three teams created by the Congress to create master conservation plans for each site will benefit from mapping and GIS survey tools provided by GHF. Of 16 potential world heritage sites in Iraq, the Congress focused on five as being of highest priority and most endangered. These are Hatra, Samarra, Ctesiphon, Al-Ukhaidir, and Ur. At Ctesiphon, for example, the highest free-standing arch in the ancient world is threatened by deterioration, vandals, climbers, salt seepage, and vibrations from large military planes taking off and landing nearby."

    Photo 1: [cover page; no caption as such for the picture; Kassite (mid-2nd mill. BC) ziggurat remains at Aqar Quf (Dur Kurigalzu) near Baghdad]

    Photo 2: "Iraqi Directorate of Antiquities.  At 45 m meters high, the freestanding arch at Ctesiphon in Iraq could become a thriving tourist center if it — and Iraq — are stabilized. The Global Heritage Fund in Palo Alto is working with the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago and the Iraq Department of Antiquities on plans to stabilize the deteriorating structure, which is threatened by everything from cracks and vandals to vibrations from military airplanes taking off nearby."

    Photo 3: "This famous relief of an Assyrian lion at Nineveh in Iraq is one of thousands of treasures that have been vandalized in the wake of the Iraq war. The Global Heritage Fund is paying for 100 guards to fight looting in southern Iraq, where it is widespread and organized.  Copyright, Joanne Farouch"





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).