Posted on 06/29/2005 8:14:27 PM PDT by nickcarraway
PARIS -- UNESCO expressed concern on Wednesday about the pillage of archaeological sites in Iraq, part of the ancient region of Mesopotamia described as the cradle of civilization.
"Illegal digs on archaeological sites unfortunately are continuing to destroy Iraq's heritage", said UNESCO director-general Koichiro Matsuura at a meeting of an international committee for the protection of Iraq's cultural heritage.
"It is totally impossible to evaluate the number of objects illegally removed from archaeological sites, it is an inestimable loss for Iraq and for all of humanity," he said.
Matsuura also warned that the installation of military bases on or near archaeological sites risked "causing irreversible damage", in particular at Hatra in the north and Babylon, south of Baghdad.
US troops are stationed near Hatra, which is on UNESCO's world heritage list, while in January the British Museum in London accused Polish and US troops of causing "substantial damage" at Babylon.
Hatra was the former fortified capital of the ancient Parthian Empire, which withstood Roman invasions in AD 116.
Babylon, which dates from the twenty-fourth century BC, was the ancient capital of Babylonia in Mesopotamia, home to humanity's earliest writing.
Some 15,000 antiquities are still missing after the museum of Baghdad and a number of other cultural institutions in the country were pillaged following the US-led invasion by US-led coalition forces.
Matsuura welcomed financial contributions from Italy, France, Japan and the Czech Republic and technical assistance from the United States and Germany to rebuild Baghdad's cultural institutions.
In other news, The International Society of Sand Grains is worried about the US war in Iraq and its effect on Sand Grains. They are partnering with the US Society of Dune Snake Preservation to make sure that both sand grains and dune snakes aren't harmed by the unpopular, 16yo peasant boy minority killing American war on Terror.
Bush's fault!
Insurgent archaeologists. I do NOT feel the pain of their destructions. Does that mean there's something wrong with me?
Which would be the approximate time that civilization stopped evolving in the middle east.
"Illegal digs on archaeological sites unfortunately are continuing to destroy Iraq's heritage"
Yeah, it's these digs that are destroying their heritage, not mass murdering psychopaths like saddam and zarqawi. But don't worry, saddam created about a million future archeological sites.
Some 15,000 antiquities are still missing after the museum of Baghdad and a number of other cultural institutions in the country were pillaged following the US-led invasion by US-led coalition forces.
They still say it. They think that we have forgotten that it was proven that the museums were looted before the war. Guess what folks, all the antiquities in the sandbox are not worth the life of one American soldier. They have been busy saving your sorry a@@e@ from the barbarians.
This kind of crap burns me. Even though it's arabs and probably iraqis doing the looting, it's America's fault.
So their bumper stickers read "Dictators Make The Best Preservationists"?
I too am concerned about Dune Snake Preservation. Thank you ever so much for mentioning this.
The thing about Dune Snakes is they blend into the terrain so well it is hard to get an accurate count. The latest count puts their numbers at 43,275,265.5 per square meter of desert, too small of a population to sustain Dune Snake numbers much past the end of the year. Their numbers were much higher before evil American soldiers attacked.
Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on, off, or alter the "Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list --
Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
The GGG Digest -- Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.