Posted on 04/26/2005 12:14:25 AM PDT by nickcarraway
It is two years since looters ravaged one of the world's most important museums, in central Baghdad.
Saddam Hussein's power had collapsed and the newly arrived US-led coalition forces were unable to prevent a crime against history.
Professional smugglers connected to the international antiquities mafia managed to break some of the sealed doors of the Baghdad Museum storage rooms.
They looted priceless artefacts such as the museum's entire collection of cylindrical seals and large numbers of Assyrian ivory carvings.
More than 15,000 objects were taken. Many were smuggled out of Iraq and offered for sale.
To date, 3,000 have been recovered in Baghdad, some returned by ordinary citizens, others by the police. In addition, more than 1,600 objects have been seized in neighbouring countries, some 300 in Italy and more than 600 in the United States.
Most of the stolen items are unaccounted for, but some private collectors in the Middle East and Europe have admitted possessing objects bearing the initials IM (Iraq Museum inventory number).
Ancient sites levelled
An ever-growing number of websites also offer Mesopotamian artefacts - anywhere up to 7,000 years old - for sale.
Doubtless, there are more fake objects advertised on the web than authentic ones, but the mere existence of this market has fuelled the looting of archaeological sites in southern Iraq.
In pictures
The picture there is appalling. More than 150 Sumerian cities dating back to the fourth millennium BC - such as Umma, Umm al-Akkareb, Larsa and Tello - lie destroyed, turned into crater-filled landscapes of shredded pottery and broken bricks.
If properly excavated, these cities - covering an estimated 20 sq km - could help us learn about the development of the human race.
But the looters have destroyed the monuments of their own ancestors, erasing their own history in a tireless search for a cylinder seal, a sculpture or a cuneiform tablet that they can sell to a dealer for a few dollars.
It is tough, poorly paid work carried out by jobless Iraqis with no way of earning a better income.
"A cylinder seal or a cuneiform tablet brings in under $50 on the site for the looter," explains the archaeologist responsible for the district of Nasiriya, Abdul Amir Hamadani.
"It's a disaster that we are all witnessing and observing, but which we can do little to prevent. With the help of 200 newly recruited police officers we are trying to stop the looting by patrolling the sites as often as possible.
"But we are now all alone. Italian carabinieri troops were the only coalition forces that actively worked on this issue for a few months. They used to patrol the region by land and from the sky. They have stopped all their operations and are now simply helping train policemen and guards."
Heavy boots
Coalition forces have themselves damaged archaeological sites by using them as military bases.
The withdrawal of coalition troops from Babylon has revealed irreversible damage to one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
An alarming report by the keeper of the British Museum's Near East department, Dr John Curtis, describes how areas in the middle of the archaeological site were levelled to create a landing area for helicopters and parking lots for heavy vehicles.
Looted Sumerian sites now resemble the surface of the moon "They caused substantial damage to the Ishtar Gate, one of the most famous monuments from antiquity," he wrote.
"US military vehicles crushed 2,600-year-old brick pavements, archaeological fragments were scattered across the site, more then 12 trenches were driven into ancient deposits and military earth-moving projects contaminated the site for future generations of scientists.
"Add to all that the damage caused to nine of the moulded brick figures of dragons in the Ishtar Gate by people trying to remove the bricks from the wall."
There will be no end to the destruction of Iraq's heritage, unless the country's leaders take a political decision to consider archaeology a priority.
For this, the ring of dealers in Baghdad has to be seized, looting in the south has to be effectively confronted and coalition forces have to be prevented from setting up base on archaeological sites.
The longer Iraq finds itself in a state of war, the more the cradle of civilization is threatened.
It may not even last long enough for our grandchildren to learn from.
Joanne Farchakh Bajjaly is an independent archaeologist and journalist covering the Middle East, who has been studying Iraqi heritage for the last seven years.
I must be getting senile, I could have sworn that "looted the museum" story was debunked.
Yeah. I thought it was too.
Sounds like the liberal media is playing the broken record again for political gain.
It sounds to me that the ancient builders of that site were good military strategists. They chose a great site to put their city, probably because it was defendable.
/humor
It was officially recognized as one of "the world's most important museums" about 12 seconds after it was looted.
Oh. I thought the title "history lost" was about all of our heroes who have gone unsung because the MSM hates this war.
Yeah...we should restore power to Saddam and the Need-a-Bath-ists because the museum was looted.
"Joanne Farchakh Bajjaly is an independent archaeologist and journalist covering the Middle East, who has been studying Iraqi heritage for the last seven years"
Sure. He probrably got an oil voucher from Saddam for writing BS like this.
"I must be getting senile, I could have sworn that "looted the museum" story was debunked."
====
YOU are not senile, the writer of the article is. The story was indeed totally debunked.
The author of this article clearly has an anti-US agenda.
One of the many lies is:
"Coalition forces have themselves damaged archaeological sites by using them as military bases. "
Our troops were extremely careful to preserve and guard archeological sites.
This article needs a "Full of steaming piles of excrement" Alert.
It already has one: the BBC tag.
What can one expect from the BBC? I don't know why anyone bothers to read it anymore.
First off, it was a Coalition base which housed the HQ of the MND CS division. It was not a US base.
Secondly, the base was setup in the former Iraqi army base and palace complex which occupy the area close to the Shat-al Hillah waterway (river). The archeological areas were clearly marked on maps and cordoned off with concertina wire, and were off limits 24x7. The Ishtar gate and museum complex are recreations of the original gate and Babylonian-era buildings. The original Ishtar gate was removed to Germany centuries ago. The museum complex has some original structures (including ruins of the Hanging Gardens) and was maintained by Iraqis, including the former museum curator. Access to the museum site is restricted and he would give guided tours during the day for something like $5/per person, $30 minimum. The designated ruins were offlimits 24x7 or under the control of the Iraqis. Areas beyond that contain obvious ruins but whether they are Sumerian or not I don't know. All of Al Hillah and the Babil provence contain ruins most of which are mud mounds or grass covered mounds.
I don't know whether there was anything under the old Marine LZ and nearby housing area (where I lived) but I don't recall that area being in one of the archeological zones and there wasn't a pile of rubble or dirt nearby.
The Marines and Coalition troops occupied the former Iraqi army base and palace complex, not the archeological areas throughout the site.
The fact the author can't even distinguish a recreation of the Ishtar gate from the original as well as overlooking the fact the Coalition set up in the Iraqi army base and that it was a Coalition, not US base bring his motivation and qualifications as an antiquity scholar into serious question.
Imo the author is just another corrupt scholar hack looking to get paid at the US's expense.
Thanks for confirming it.
The America bashers just can't give up. Since they can't bash us over things we do, they make things up.
It was!! Someone needs to send the story to this lunatic. Someone trying to do in Tony Blair's re-election bid, so it must mean that he has a good chance of winning. Some of these people think that ALL of us are either morons or senile.
Has that reporter ever been to the museum? How does she know the stuff was even there to begin with? Also, how does she know that the stuff were not copies and the real things were not in a vault.
Also, the story was debunked. Most of the important items were grabbed by the museums employees. They have since been
"returned". Leave it to the BBC.
You shacked with that one. Beautiful.
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