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2010-04-28T23:07:00.001-07:00

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Calling it quits?

2008-09-16T15:57:00.000-07:00

As it is apparent to me now that quite a few of the people supposedly still involved in trying to help protect the archaeological heritage of Iraq, are more concerned with petty quarrels and finger pointing, I think I'll be calling it quits as far as this blog is concerned. I may leave the archive up as my traffic statistics do indicate that IW&A continues to be used every day. I enjoyed trying to be of some assistance esp. in 2003-2004, I even think I did at least a few things right, but I have no time or energy to spare anymore to deal with such futile arguing.

Sorry!

Baghdad Museum, Clarington, Ontario

2008-08-31T00:37:00.000-07:00

A while back, I was emailed a poem, written by Antony Di Nardo in the Winter of 2004, which I'd like to share.
•
Baghdad Museum, Clarington, Ontario

after visiting an exhibit* of work by contemporary artists
at the Clarington Gallery** responding to the looting
of the Baghdad Museum during the invasion of Iraq

We can see the war just north of the 401,
the ziggurats of ancient sand
crumbling on these walls and around the world
outside these rooms
there’s a bowl of brass and a bowl of clay
and a bowl of souls
launching into media desperate dreams of red white
and blue soldiers wasted
in their helmets, the soft sands of time like hands lost
in the Ur-glass groping for
the artifacts of the week that’s gone, the world that fell,
the wreck of the reckoning past
with the old ways under foot, we have to face them all again
in headlines, op eds, talking heads,
and to think that on this side of the world we juxtapose
cinema Dorothy’s
ruby-painted shoes circa 1940 beatified to praise those deserted
years of Hollywood,
but not quite so in a military grab, in a colonel’s gab, so what,
so fuckin’ what
if the lapis lazuli is lost in the rubble, the Sumerians'
first record of the first
writings blown to smithereens, the armed tanks rumbling
outside spent museums
guarded by grenades, the irony of the fear of native looters
now that the past is pillaged,
the clay pots the clay heads the clay soldiers here at the end of time,
the time they slipped up,
marching on a painting of the elegant skeleton man in the valley
of the thirsty kings, the Tigris
and Euphrates, picked like a peach a plum a date palm
stuffed in an old man’s head
for desert shade, for the justification of justice done to all,
the way forward
lost and lost again in the long-time lion and the bear
resurrected out of wax,
out of a time of hunger, the lion sinking into the bleak
bear’s haunches –
these were all on the walls, in the rooms, under the roof
beneath the winter sky in Clarington
among the dreaded wombs of unwed mothers, the video
that failed to show itself
the truth, the march of crimes on blue floors cycling through
the columns of the right
and left guard watched over by the sullen eyes which a princess
slave with double-sided tape
peeled off her mouth her feet her object of desire
that they’ll never get
like the deer with antlers radiant on someone else's wall
calls affection to itself
and the buckskin warriors in camouflage and fitted boots
glued to their maps and guns
and helmets wired to the skulls behind the masks we look through
with our eyes on the first frontier
where we see a man made of steel, and outside in the snow,
in a glass case,
the man made of burs, the footprints that were made
in the snow to get us here
and back again to the 401, the angle of the sun this winter’s day
so blinding.

* Catalog picture shown above; BAGHDAD MUSEUM, January 11-25, 2004, Exhibition Curated/Essay by Margaret Rodgers, Project Coordination: Margaret Rodgers and the Iris Group, ISBN 0-9733768-1-3, Price: $3.00
** Clarington Gallery is affiliated with the Visual Arts Centre of Clarington in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada.

IW&A word cloud

2008-08-29T03:04:00.000-07:00

I have just discovered this wondeful tool: Wordle. "Wordle is a toy for generating 'word clouds' from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes." This is the result for the IW&A Blog site:

Food for thought...

Check out my other blog: Word Face-Off

2008-08-14T23:59:00.000-07:00

Check out my other blog, Word Face-Off, which strikes a lighter tone than IW&A. For every post, I select two words or concepts and find their popularity in Google (relative) and Google News (absolute), using Google Trends. The resulting graph is instructive or interesting or unexpected or... you tell me! My IW&A blogging will continue but with a slow pace for the time being.Technorati Profile

Ossendrijver Iraq photos, 2

2008-08-09T20:22:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't posted for some time... Here's something to tide you over: more Mathieu Ossendrijver photos from his Iraq trip in 2000 (I posted the 1st batch in 2006—time flies!). This time they were taken at the archaeological site of Aqar Quf (ancient Dur Kurigalzu, approximately 30 km/19 mi W of Baghdad). It was the capital for a while during the Kassite period, occupied from the 14th-12th cent. BC. See also University of Chicago Oriental Institute. Archaeological Site Photography for more pictures. The most prominent feature is the remains of the ziggurat with the surrounding (reconstructed) buildings:

Remember Iraq?

2008-06-23T13:00:00.000-07:00

I know it's easy to get swept up in the fervor of the US presidential race. There are floods in the Midwestern US, the Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe is showing one more time what a dictatorship looks like. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are expecting another baby—twins even! But... but the situation in Iraq is still a catastrophe of gigantic proportions, even though the media are not paying much attention to it anymore. Dr. Juan Cole, on his esteemed Informed Comment blog, reminds us of the ongoing tragedy, a situation where "normal" is a condition that in any Western country would be considered a total chaotic disaster, a breakdown of society as we know it:

"By now, summer of 2008, excess deaths from violence in Iraq since March of 2003 must be at least a million. This conclusion can be reached more than one way. There is not much controversy about it in the scientific community. Some 310,000 of those were probably killed by US troops or by the US Air Force, with the bulk dying in bombing raids by US fighter jets and helicopter gunships on densely populated city and town quarters.

In absolute numbers, that would be like bombing to death everyone in Pittsburgh, Pa. Or Cincinnati, Oh.

Only, the US is 11 times more populous than Iraq, so 310,000 Iraqi corpses would equal 3.4 million dead Americans. So proportionally it would be like firebombing to death everyone in Chicago."

He continues:

"The wars of Iraq-- the Iran-Iraq War, the repressions of the Kurds and the Shiites, the Gulf War, and the American Calamity, may have left behind as many as 3 million widows. Having lost their family's breadwinner, many are destitute."

And:

"But over 500 a month dead in political violence is appalling enough. The Srebenica massacre in 1995 killed 8,000. At the average rate of death in Iraq this winter and spring, a similar massacre will have been racked up in 2008. In the Northern Ireland troubles over 30 years, about 3,000 people died, and it was widely considered a bad situation. That death toll is still being achieved every 6 months in Iraq according to the official May statistics.

And, of course, by the rule of 11,that death toll would be like nearly 6,000 Americans dying in political violence every month, or 72,000 a year. (Note that this 72,000 figure would only be political deaths, since it does not include criminal homicides). The annual total murder rate in the US is about 16,000, including political violence, what little there is. The US is one of the most violent societies on earth, and Iraq in May makes it look like a pacifist convention."

I could keep on quoting but you must read this article completely, yes, I mean you!

Protecting heritage at times of war

2008-06-20T17:46:00.000-07:00

There's a good article out in the latest issue of the Getty Newsletter, co-written by Corinne Wegener for whom I have a lot of respect:

"At the end of 1943, as war raged in Europe, General Dwight D. Eisenhower wrote to his commanders in Italy, clearly expressing his intent to spare cultural property from damage whenever possible:
'Today we are fighting in a country which has contributed a great deal to our cultural inheritance, a country rich in monuments which by their creation helped and now in their old age illustrate the growth of the civilization which is ours. We are bound to respect those monuments so far as war allows.'
This statement and other protective measures for cultural property were a direct result of concerted efforts by governments, the military, and cultural heritage professionals of many of the Allied nations to protect Europe's cultural heritage during World War II."

Further along she writes:

"The Coalition Forces in Iraq did not have the kind of M[onuments, ]F[ine ]A[rts, and ]A[rchives] units that were present during World War II. While most countries still have Civil Affairs units, few cultural heritage personnel serve in today's military, leaving most military commanders without this expert advice. Furthermore, units receive little training on cultural property protection beyond instructions to avoid damage during military operations. Some European nations maintain Civil-Military Cooperation units, including a small force of reservists who are cultural heritage professionals; however, their deployment is often hindered by their nation's rules regarding entry into combat areas."

In response to her experiences in Iraq, she has been instrumental in founding the U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield (USCBS) as well as, together with her co-author Marjan Otter, the Association of National Committees of the Blue Shield which will co-ordinate the national organizations' work in times of armed conflict or natural disaster. I will give Mses. Wegener and Otter the last word:

"The choice is ours. If we, as cultural heritage professionals, continue to act as individuals and function within a variety of discrete organizations, we will almost certainly fail the next time colleagues in a war-torn country need us. However, if we unite in support of the Blue Shield organizations created to protect cultural heritage during armed conflict, we can make our voices heard and perhaps even be influential enough to prevent the 'next time.'"

Iraqi heritage status update

2008-06-09T15:24:00.000-07:00

At the UCLA/Getty Storage Symposium I was frequently asked about how the archaeological heritage of Iraq is faring these days. Also, today I am cleaning out my email inbox and came across some stuff I hadn't looked at yet. The Los Angeles Times published an excellent article back in January:

"BAGHDAD -- He works as a blacksmith in one of Baghdad's swarming Shiite slums. But at least once a month, Abu Saif tucks a pistol into his belt, hops into a minibus taxi and speeds south. His goal: to unearth ancient treasures from thousands of archaeological sites scattered across southern Iraq."

Read the whole article, it paints a pretty good picture of the situation. Also, the New York Times published a good article in February on the National Library in Baghdad and its courageous director Saad Eskander:

"Saad Eskander, the director of Iraq’s National Library and Archive in Baghdad, finally had some time to catch up on his diary after a couple of very busy weeks. As he wrote in his latest entry, he was having trouble repairing the Internet system; the Restoration Laboratory 'was hit by 5 bullets;' and 'another librarian, who works at the Periodical Department, received a death threat. He has to leave his house and look for another one, as soon as he can; otherwise, he will be murdered.'"

Read it. Both articles were brought to my attention by the Iraqcrisis mailing list where many fine colleagues (esp. Chuck Jones) post the little information we are still able to obtain.

I would also like to thank SAFE - Saving Antiquities for Everyone for their continuing efforts. Recently, they again organized a Global Candlelight Vigil to remember the anniversary of the looting of the National Museum in Baghdad five years ago. One of the vigils was held at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ:

Finally, some good news. Syrian authorities seem to step up their efforts to intercept smuggling of ancient Iraqi artifacts (Report: Syrian customs officials seize 40 Iraqi stolen museum pieces from smugglers, in the International Herald Tribune, May 21, 2008):

"... the pieces were seized at al-Tanaf crossing on the Syrian-Iraqi border. They were hidden in a bag in an Iraqi crossing into Syria. The artifacts include different-sized glassware and clay tools." "This is the third smuggling attempt aborted in less than two months by Syrian customs officials. Last month, the Syrian Cultural Ministry handed Iraq back some 700 pieces of looted priceless antiquities seized inside Syria."

Live blogging the UCLA/Getty Storage Symposium (part 9)

2008-06-08T15:37:00.000-07:00

There was sunshine, coffee and cookies—not for me, I'm a diabetic :-( —and we're back in the auditorium of the Fowler Museum. John Lynch (UCLA) presents: Tracing Portable Archaeological Finds: The UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology and the Challenges of Digital Archaeology. It's all about context! We gather more of it nowadays than ever before but our publishing and storing of it hasn't changed: paper. Digital publishing has all these advantages: updatable, as many images (in color) as you want, etc. But we still usually make facsimiles of the paper versions. The UEE is going further, e.g., geographical and geospatial searching/interacting. You can take info and use it in Google Earth, even with, for instance, chronological evolution of a site and its 3D-reconstructed buildings. The process of going back and gathering the data for 3D models of excavated buildings can lead to correction of the original (paper) publication, e.g., Robert Cargill's new theory on Qumran. The technology used by the Wii (with its handheld location determination in reference to a fixed point) could allow for easier collection of geospatial data. Open-access, public data is what is needed: complete, timely. He mentions the Open Context database and pointed me out as the one to ask expert questions... A typical report is an interpretation of what was excavated, which is good, but why not also publish all primary data to allow colleagues to searching across excavation datasets and solving new questions. It does also allow for long-term preservation of data as copies spread all over the world. Why is the new approach not widely adopted? Sharing is not encouraged: data receives its value from being secret, you need it for publications that will give you tenure. Furthermore, policies in different countries and licensing authorities are not yet requiring open access. There is also the problem of technical difficulties. Open Context uses ArchaeoML, an XML-based format. The content of the UEE will be peer reviewed and authors' rights will be reserved for limited time.

Liz Werden presents Condition Change at Painted Rock: 3D Laser Scanning for Conservation Documentation. Painted Rock is located inside Carrizo Plain National Monument, in San Luis Obispo county, California. By the way, I notice that the official website of the National Monument doesn't seem to mention the rock art, which is probably for the better. Oddly enough the US Geological Service has pictures up on their website (see the photo I used). She mentions that for every day of scanning, you have to count on 5 days of processing.

Craig Mauzy (American School of Classical Studies at Athens) talks about Analog to Digital: Transforming the Agora Collections to the 21st century. The ASCSA has been excavating the Agora in Athens, Greece, for the past 77 years. He shows an interactive QTVR (Quicktime Virtual Reality) tour of the Agora site. They are mandated by Greek policies to eventually provide open access to their excavation data and research. Nearly 400 houses were on top of the excavation site before work was started in the 1930s. They are now transferring the card catalogue into a digital database and scan the photographic archive. When they are excavating today, they enter items immediately into the database.

That concludes the symposium. It was very interesting. I hope I didn't bore some people too much ;-)

Update: I corrected a location name.

Live blogging the UCLA/Getty Storage Symposium (part 8)

2008-06-08T13:16:00.000-07:00

I had lunch with colleagues on a sunny patio. Nice to be back inside an air-conditioned building though :-) Here we go with the next session: Developing Virtual Collections, introduced by Diane Favro (UCLA).

Our first speaker is Ron Street (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York): Molding Reliefs from the Pyramid of Amenemhat I, and 3-Dimensional Imaging for Sculpture Conservation. He is most of his time involved in making commercial replicas but also does scholarly projects. He went to the actual 12th-dynasty pyramid of Amenemhat I (ca. 1970 BC) in Lisht, Egypt. For large items, milling is still the only affordable way of making a facsimile. 3D-imaging produces a better replica however. It was used in the re-reconstruction of the Ur-Nammu stele to create a virtual model that allowed to improve upon the original reconstruction from the early 20th cent. It's not back in the galleries yet. He shows other projects, emphasizing that the hand of a skilled artist is still needed to do the ultimate retouching and finishing of a facsimile.

Next is Jean-Angelo Beraldin (NRC Institute for Information Technology, Canada) focuses on 3D scanning, modeling and processing. The patented technology that the Visual Information Technology Group developed is even used by NASA. He shows a video giving a brief overview of cultural-heritage applications of their 3D expertise. There are 3 acquisition methods: triangulation, time of flight, inferometry. Using 3D data and modeling software is not easy to use, the experience of the scanner matters. Color is added either by measuring reflectivity or by draping photos over the 3D model. Technologies are comercially available but mostly for manufacturing and infrastructure industries. A business model is still missing for cultural heritage applications.

Kandace Pansire (UCLA) speaks on The Difficulties of Preserving Spatial Context: Karanis, tourism and the olive oil industry. Ancient Karanis (modern Kom Aushim, in the Fayum oasis) yielded a large amount of papyri. The local sebakhin used the mudbrick for fertilizer and even put in a small railroad for transport. Consequently, a lot of the site is just destroyed, gone. Also, the architectural remains exposed by the old University of Michigan expedition in the 1920s-1930s have since decayed substantially. The new archaeological project is a collaboration of UCLA and the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (The Netherlands). She surveyed the area and found olive grinding stones, presses and settling vats. It is hard to ascertain often whether they are still in their original location. This a tourist site, tourists pick up stuff and drop it elsewhere. A road is lined with olive presses, probably not placed there in antiquity. She is trying to preserve the spatial context using GIS and virtual modeling. The project doesn't have the finances to use better technologies.

Live blogging the UCLA/Getty Storage Symposium (part 7)

2008-06-08T10:45:00.000-07:00

Back from the coffee break. Now we have my old professor at UCLA presenting a paper, Giorgio Buccellati. He discusses the Urkesh Global Record, a real-time publication system of the portable finds from the ongoing excavation at Tell Mozan—I'm an alumnus of that dig myself (1988). The royal palace they uncovered dates back to 2250 BC. A temple (late Chalcolithic-1300 BC) was built on a terrace next to a plaza. The recording system is very extensive and there is an auditing process. The entries can then be incrementally added to as items are studied typologically. The great bulk of the finds consists of ceramic sherds and bone. The database allows for immediate publication of finds as lots of details were immediately entered (stratigraphical, functional). They also make sure that the excavated walls which are at least partially mud brick are preserved by constructing removable covers. Even after 20+ years, the walls haven't deteriorated. They adhere to an incremental publication philosophy. They have Syrian students (5 currently) on the dig too. He applied for a grant inside UCLA for the website. Archaeological websites that are recognized and used a lot are usually presenting data, he also wants to provide an argument, matters that are less pure data. The web environment also allows to make that argument in innovative ways that can't be done on paper. So it should get the same respect so to speak as paper publications. A colleague pointed out the website Architecture, Restoration, and Imaging of the Maya Cities of Uxmal, Kabah, Sayil and Labná - The Puuc Region, Yucatán, México. During the discussion, Wellman is offering the template of his condition survey database (CARS) to use freely for any colleague (open source!).

Update: You can contact Howard Wellman by email at wellmanconservation@comcast.net.

Live blogging the UCLA/Getty Storage Symposium (part 6)

2008-06-08T08:58:00.000-07:00

I just dragged my luggage from one end of the UCLA campus to the other: my Aerobic Exercise Camp is proceeding apace :-) Today we start Session 3: Digital Management of Portable Finds; Tools for Archaeologists and Conservators, introduced by Aaron Burke (UCLA).

Kenneth Hamma (Getty Trust) speaks first. He recalls the good old days when he was digging in Cyprus and had a "portable" computer that weighed a ton and had measly storage capacity. in 1995, the Getty started the digital cataloging of their collection and soon found that time and people were the key obstacle, not equipment and the like. Eventually, to address the lack of comparability between catalogs in different institutions, the Cataloging Cultural Objects (CCO) system for cataloging using standardized terms and definitions was set up. The Getty then developed the CDWA Lite (Categories for the Description of Works of Art) system which allows a minimal cataloging routine, usable for any kind of institution, bowing in a way to the realities of the real word. The Open Archives Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH) is an excellent protocol to embed the catalog data and provides the common language for accessing museum and library collections as well as individual objects over the web. He discusses my Alexandria Archive Institute's Open Context system as a good example of where we are headed. A colleague asked about the reluctance of many institutions to share and expose their data/collections to the world. He replied that it is a matter of policy. Anyway, things are moving fast: if you're not available on the web somehow, you risk becoming irrelevant or at least miss out on exposure, recognition for your institution or project. Aaron Burke introduced the term expectation inflation.

Howad Wellman (Howard Wellman Conservation) talks about A Tale of Three Surveys: Flexible Condition Surveys for Mixed Archaeological Collections. He used to work at the MAC Lab (Maryland Archaeological Conservation) where he developed and evolved their conservation condition survey database system as an integral part of the long-term care of their collection (it is the depository of all state-funded archaeological projects' finds). The actual catalog of their holdings is totally separate although they're hoping to connect them in the future. A lot of their finds come from CRM projects and are not treated, conserved. However, this condition survey database is now actually being used by the conservators to choose interesting finds that should be conserved properly.

Update: fixed an annoying typo.

live blogging the UCLA/Getty Storage Symposium (part 5)

2008-06-07T15:18:00.000-07:00

We caught a little bit of fresh air outside and we're back with Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati (Cal State Univ. Los Angeles) who talks about the 10,000+ artifacts and samples from the Tell Mozan (ancient Urkesh) excavation project in NE Syria. The project has lasted over 20 years now. They found a palace and more. The Syrian policy requires on-site storage of the archaeological materials... which by now is becoming really hard due to the quantity. The Syrian authorities recently requested the new finds to be sent to the museum in Deir el-Zor, awaiting the new provincial museum in Hassake being finished. They vacuum pack metal objects. They have a comprehensive html system cataloging and documenting all artifacts and features. They have set up an on-site ceramics library both displayed chronologically and stratigraphically. Last building they added is a metal-sheet and musbrick one to store the bulk of the finds (non-museum objects). They hope the new museum in Hassake will take them eventually.

Next, Molly Gleeson and Chris De Brer (UCLA/Getty) present a paper about Storage, Handling and access to Human Mummy Bundles, Tarapacá Valley Archaeological Project, Chile. How are human remains processed? They need to be available for research and possibly exhibition after first having been stabilized through minimal treatment and safely, securely stored. A local community center and school house them now, buildings that have withstood recent earthquakes. The environment inside the store rooms is being monitored and so far has stayed within reasonable boundaries (no actual equipment is available to ensure stability).

The final paper in this session was given by Vanessa Muros and Allison Lewis (UCLA/Getty), this time about the portable finds from the Lofkënd Archaeological Project in Albania. A multiple-burial tumulus from the Early Iron Age is being excavated. Some finds are dug out as a larger block of soil which is then excavated off-site. The dig house is in a former monastery in nearby Apollonia. The storage space is itself also being excavated by a French team and lacks environmental controls... Humidity fluctuates extremely. The roof leaks. Rodents are also a problem. Therefore, the care taken in the packing and storage of finds is very important. For instance, metal finds are placed in a polyethylene bag with silica gel. Some had to be stabilized first. After testing, it was obvious that humidity still remained a problem for the metal finds. Double-bagging is the latest approach. All labeling and conservation of the finds is checked regularly and problems corrected, e.g., adding an inside label to the one written on the polyethylene bags when observing that the outside, written labels became illegible at times. They are now trying to obtain a more appropriate storage space and are planning earthquake-preparedness measures. I asked about the security measures protecting the excavation site as there is quite some looting of sites attested in Albania. They said there's a guard and they haven't had any problems so far. Also, the monastery is well guarded. During the discussion time, a colleague advised that polyethylene does not keep out humidity and also allows inside condensation if you have large temperature swings. Ms. Muros said that expense is a major reason for using those type of bags. Other colleagues weighed in on this problem. I'll spare you the technical details but bags are definitely a concern.

Live blogging the UCLA/Getty Storage Symposium (part 4)

2008-06-07T14:02:00.000-07:00

I had lunch with colleagues at the Student Union: fun. Now we start the 2nd section, introduced by Ellen Pearlstein (UCLA/Getty): "Case Studies of Successful On-Site Storage."

The 1st speaker is Hiroko Kariya (Oriental Institute of the U. of Chicago): Block Yard Storage and Survey of Colonnade Fragments, Luxor Temple[, Egypt]. The Chicago House, the local branch of the Oriental institute, proposed a new facility but this was not approved by the Egyptian authorities. Instead they built small-scale, emergency protection structures of wood and sail to protect the sundry blocks. Exposure to the elements was causing deterioration of the relief and painted decoration of the artifacts. Eventually, a new proposal consisting of stone-built, sturdy shelfs covered by sail was approved. Instead of the 1,000s of blocks originally protected, now 10,000s are safe. A condition database documenting the change through time for individual fragments and blocks has now been set up with lots of detail. Together with a treatment database this allows much improved management of the Block Yard. They also are working on improved access to the material, e.g., by reconstructing some walls and displaying some fragments in situ. The oldest fragments are from the 20th cent. BC but the bulk is dated to the 14th-13th cent. BC (Amenhotep III and Ramses II). The open-air museum will open in 2010.

Amandina Anastassiades represents a team from the American School of Classical Studies at Athens: On-Site Storage of Metal Artifacts at the Athenian Agora. In the reconstructed (in the 1950s) Stoa of Attalos, there was permanent storage space which was however not climate controlled. Metal artifacts esp. were not totally dry and have turned out to show corrosion problems up to the point of totally falling apart. In the 1980s, the most vulnerable metal artifacts were repackaged. Now, they are moving them into appropriate, modern containers. They did on-site tests on the relative humidity and temperature, which was then used as guidance for the new storage: tightly-sealed plastic containers with silica gel that are eventually stored in a metals room under precise environmental control. Long-term storage of uncataloged metal finds is done with Marvelseal 360® and Tyvek® packaging and lining. Key to the improved handling and storing of metal artifacts is collaboration between field archaeologists and conservators. Interesting detail: the excavators perform a triage in that undiagnostic and mundane artifacts (esp. ceramic) are reburied after having been counted.

Live blogging the UCLA/Getty Storage Symposium (part 3)

2008-06-07T11:46:00.000-07:00

Ran Boytner represents the people of the UCLA/Univ. of Chile Tarapacá Valley Project. He goes into the history of the linkage of archaeology and politics, starting with Thomas Jefferson, the first archaeologist in the US (also occupied the less important job of US president). The Mapuche were one of the few indigenous groups that was able to resist the Spanish occupation and are iconic in Chile. The War of the Pacific (late 19th century) gained Chile a part of Bolivia on the northern coast. "Chilenization" of the local people in this new territory has not been very successful. The Pinochet coup, likely supported by the US, changed the situation again: the remaning opposition was Communist inspired. Anthropologists allied with them, promoting indigenous rights and reclaiming their history (social archaeology). His project now is in the Atacama Desert, in the one valley that can support human population. The high point of the area was in the 1st mill. AD, later it was included in the Inca empire and then conquered by the Spaniards. Nowadays it is almost deserted. They wanted to have a local museum to store the artifacts, local indigenous people were OK with it, but the centralized archaeological authorities in Santiago didn't allow it. They had political problems with it, saw it as a "recolonization by the Americans." They are now the only foreign-led project in Chile (except for the Easter Island one which is rather unique).

By the way, yesterday we went to the Getty Villa in Malibu and were given a tour of the excellent, new facilities of the UCLA/Getty Archaeological and Ethnological Conservation Program. Then we were treated to a reception in the scenic courtyard in front of the facility. I talked to many interesting colleagues and learned a lot.

Live blogging the UCLA/Getty Storage Symposium (part 2)

2008-06-07T10:59:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention the time of the symposium: June 6-8, 2008, at UCLA Fowler Museum.

The next talk is by Sherry Fox on the Wiener Laboratory of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. The current facility is deficient: lack of space, insect isssues, etc. However, money is now available for a new facility to be built soon. They hold comparative collections as well as excavation materials from all over Greece.

Dr. Sonia Guillén (Centro Mallqui, Peru) is talking about her center in Ilo on the south coast. The situation is dire in the region: looting has been and still is rampant. Also, there is urban expansion pressure and problems with getting public support. Perfect conditions for preservation (dry!) are a boon for the many mummies found. Before she arrived there, the old storage facility was totally lacking, no climate control, mummy bundles just stacked. Now a new facility has been built with modern amenities and personnel. They are now preserving and studying the mummies and getting a lot of new information. For instance, in some cases embalming was used. A large quantity of herding dog burials have been found, the same breed as today. They perform rescue excavations due to construction, etc. as well as salvage digs at sites that have been looted. They involve local Aymara women for the textiles. New digs find for example also packaged bundles of human bones. From the inital focus on mummies, they have expanded into more and more biological analyses, e.g., parasites in mummies. In 1979, rumors of mummies found in the cloud forest of Peru: unexpected. The burials at Laguna de los Cóndores were looted and trashed. Still they found mummies: only ones so far from the Inca period. The mummies were "mummified" (treated) here as it is a wet, different climate. The new museum in Leymebamba for these new mummies is attracting tourists and is supported well by the local community. The local people are very interested in their history, feel connected. The Laguna de los Condores mummies are from the Chachapoya (ca. AD 800-1470), Chachapoya-Inca (ca. 1470-1532) and early Colonial (ca. 1532-1570) times.

And now for something "completely" different...

2008-06-07T10:41:00.000-07:00

Day 2 of my Aerobic Workout Camp (UCLA campus sure is hilly!) a.k.a. the UCLA/Getty Storage Symposium. Preservation and Access to Archaeological Materials has started. I am attending in name of the Alexandria Archive Institute and will record my impressions here. Also, I will come back to yesterday’s activity later.

Unfortunately, I missed the welcoming remarks by Charles Stanish (UCLA) and David Scott (UCLA/Getty).

Ernestine Elster (UCLA) recounts the changes that have taken place in the practice of archaeology since she started her career in the 1970s. She mentions that most WPA projects from the 1930s-1940s in the US were never published. She points out that for instance the NSF doesn’t have a publishing requirement for archeological excavations it sponsors. She advocates a stringent requirement for all funding agencies/authorities to no longer give out new grants/permits to people who haven’t yet finished publishing their previous project(s). Abandoned projects are a scourge, I would add. She basically says that irresponsible archaeologists—we all know who you are...—should be “blackballed” in general, also by fellow archaeologists. She compliments the courageous colleagues who have taken on the arduous task of publishing “ancient” projects. A member of the audience brought up the preliminary vs. final report issue as well as restrictions in for instance Central America where a report in Spanish has to be submitted after every yearly campaign and the project cannot be reported by the foreign archaeologists on their own in a foreign publication. Friction is typical. The required local co-director has a lot of control and may prevent publication abroad. Typically, projects are reported in the local publication system.

Next, Ioanna Kakoulli (UCLA) introduces the Negotiating Safe Storage sesson.

The people from the Institute for Aegean Prehistory – Study Center for East Crete (INSTAP-SCEC), represented by Eleanor Huffman, talked about their work in setting up a centralized repository with laboratories and comparative collections in East Crete. They conserve, photograph, illustrate and store the complete find collections from the American and Greek-American excavations and surveys. They also provide a GPS team and have a library. They concern not only with the physical storage of the artifacts but also with the metadata connected to the named artifacts. 85% of the capacity is taken up by ceramic materials. They’re already running out of space... They make due for now with storage containers for the not heat-sensitive materials. Care is taken to repackage the artifacts and organic/petrographic samples in standardized, durable and appropriate boxes and crates that are easy to store, replacing the odd assortment of temporary containers from the field. The facility also provides climate controlled conditions. They even have been able to re-complete some excavation assemblages by getting materials from local museums where they were deposited. These museums may not have adequate facilities or capacity to store them. The institute is struggling with the increasing amount of digital metadata. They already have 1 terabyte and the pace is accelerating. the catalogue is organized by excavation, no artefact types for instance recorded. That means that they can’t just pull up all figurines for instance. Each excavation uses its own choice of software which doesn’t facilitate things...

Update: I corrected the symposium title, fixed some links, corrected a typo and added the 2nd paragraph.

Update 2: I corrected a few more typos—obviously, I was still rusty at this live blogging thing that morning ;-)

Good & bad news

2008-04-24T15:42:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Dr. Jack Sasson, I just saw an article in the Iraqi newspaper Azzaman. It dates back to mid March and is indicative of the state of archaeology in Iraq nowadays. On the good side, some excavations are going on by local archaeologists. They discovered a Neo-Babylonian town in Diwaniyya protectorate, with some interesting finds such as a duck weight that weighs in at an unusual ca. 30 kg as well as some burials of what looks like people who were executed. "The head archaeologist Mohammed Yahya said the town is more than 20,000 square meters in area and includes administrative quarters, temples and other buildings of 'magnificent and splendid design.' Yahya, who is the head of the provincial Antiquities Department in the Province of Diwaniya, where the new Babylonian town was discovered, said he still lacks evidence on the town’s ancient name. The locals call it Shamiya after a provincial district nearby, he said." However, on the bad side, he also notes "that his team has come across several cuneiform tablets but 'there is no one to read the ancient writing because Iraqi experts with the knowledge to decipher Mesopotamian script have fled the country.'" Sigh.

RSS syndication

2008-04-21T23:26:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, this switch to a Blogger-hosted blog means that those who are subscribing to the blog's RSS feed will have to redo this. Just use the new hyperlinks at the top left. I appreciate your understanding :-)

temporary solution to ftp problem

2008-04-21T01:21:00.000-07:00

I have the IW&A Blog (not the rest of the site) up at http://iraqwararchaeo.blogspot.com. At least the archives and stuff work on that server. Sorry for the inconvenience! The normal IW&A Blog address still works too but remember that anything beyond the main page of the blog on that server is flaky...

still trying to fix the ftp publishing problem

2008-04-21T00:18:00.000-07:00

This is basically a test. Blogger techs: helloooooo!

sorry, Blogger ftp'ing issues again

2008-04-15T00:23:00.000-07:00

Just when I had forgotten one of the reasons why I stopped blogging last year, I am being rudely made aware of it: Blogger problems, esp. ftp'ing. $%^^&%$#@@$$%!! At least the main page seems to load OK.

The British Museum keeps fighting the good fight

2008-04-14T21:10:00.006-07:00

Dr. John Curtis, keeper of the British Museum's Middle East department, has just written a fascinating, extensive account of his role in the efforts to help protect Iraq's archaeological heritage: "Who stole Iraq's priceless treasures?," in The Sunday Times of April 13. It is a must read. Mentioning a potential British Army effort to protect archaeological sites in the South, he ends thus:

This is a far cry from the attitude of the coalition forces in the build-up to the war. Then, the military authorities took no proper advice, but contented themselves with requesting lists of important sites (which could have been obtained from any one of a number of popular guidebooks). At the very least they should have been consulting closely with archeologists and other specialists familiar with Iraq, and at best they should have had archeologists and cultural-heritage experts embedded in the military, as they were in the second world war. In this way, some of the subsequent disasters could have been averted. Meanwhile, we are left with a situation in Iraq in which many top-quality museum objects have been stolen or damaged, and many prime archeological sites in the south of the country have been looted beyond repair, with the consequent loss of much priceless information about a cultural heritage that is the property of the whole world.

An article in The Guardian announces a planned Babylon exhibition at the British Museum. It promises not to shirk away from exposing the damage wrought by US and Coalition forces to this world-renown site. For more details on the Museum's efforts so far, including reports by Dr. Curtis on the condition of sites such as Ur and Babylon, see The British Museum and the crisis in Iraqi cultural heritage section of their website.

Show and sell

2008-04-11T16:26:00.002-07:00

Two very good articles just appeared in The Art Newspaper about the open-to-abuse relationship between museums and dealers, this time concerning a particularly egregious case of a major exhibition of modern Chinese art. It was accompanied by serious catalogues (= imprimatur of quality and authenticity) and the whole lot was being arranged for sale while still on exhibit.

• Show and sell: Sotheby’s announces auction of Chinese art just two days after museum display. The Estella collection will be sold in Hong Kong this month following exhibitions at leading institutions, by Georgina Adam | 8.4.08 | Issue 190

• Museums should beware of being used as marketing tools, by Adrian Ellis | 8.4.08 | Issue 190

This only reminds of similar shenanigans closer to home, i.e., archaeological collections "on loan" at museums but destined for the auction block.

Exhibition, book and symposium in Chicago

2008-04-09T23:18:00.005-07:00

The Oriental Institute Museum of the University of Chicago will present an exhibit Catastrophe! The Looting and Destruction of Iraq’s Past in Chicago from April 10 to December 31, 2008. The opening date, April 10, marks the fifth anniversary of the looting of the Iraq National Museum in Baghdad.

The looting of the Iraq Museum was widely publicized in the international press. However, it is less well known that ongoing looting of archaeological sites poses an even greater threat to the cultural heritage of Iraq. The exhibit “Catastrophe! The Looting and Destruction of Iraq’s Past” and the April 12 symposium (see below) examine the ongoing destruction and looting of Iraq’s cultural heritage.

Iraq, ancient Mesopotamia, is the cradle of civilization, the region that spawned the seminal inventions of writing, the calendar, the wheel, and even the concept of cities. The history of the world quite literally begins in Mesopotamia, making the loss of its cultural patrimony a loss for all humanity.

Archaeologists involved with the exhibit include McGuire Gibson, University of Chicago Professor of Mesopotamian Archaeology, Geoff Emberling, Director of the Oriental Institute Museum, and exhibit co-curator, Katharyn Hanson

The exhibit is organized around the following themes:

- The importance of archaeology to history and identity: Why does the past matter? What can it tell us about ourselves and our community?
- Looting and damage to archaeological sites: dramatic photographs, including recent satellite images, show illicit looting and destruction of sites.
- The threat of war: combat damage and the more significant construction damage being done by the US military at important sites including Babylon, Ur, and Samarra
- The importance of archaeological context: how much context can tell us about an object and about the culture from which it came.
- Looted artifacts: the routes that looted artifacts take from Iraq to art markets around the world, and where seizures have been made.
- The Iraq Museum five years later: what in fact was looted and the progress of recovery efforts to date.
- What has been done and what can be done? The exhibit examines what efforts are and can be made to stem the looting of archaeological sites in Iraq and on a local and national level throughout the world

A goal of the exhibit is to encourage people to think about the importance of archaeology and cultural heritage throughout the world, to ask questions such as: Why is archaeology important? What does the past mean to me, my family, my community and my nation? What can be done to preserve the past? How can individuals and communities as well as larger bureaucratic organizations safeguard the records of the past?

Thursday, April 10 at 6:30 pm: Opening of the exhibit at the Oriental Institute will feature a lecture by University of Chicago Professor of Mesopotamian Archaeology, McGuire Gibson, followed by a candlelight vigil commemorating the five years since the looting of the Museum in Baghdad. The vigil is one of many being held throughout the world, coordinated by SAFE (Saving Antiquities for Everyone), a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving cultural heritage worldwide. Free and open to the public.

•

The Oriental Institute announces the publication of a new title, both in print and on-line
(as part of its Electronic Publication Initiative). The printed copy is
available from the David Brown Book Company/Oxbow Books: http://www.oxbowbooks.com.

Catastrophe! The Looting and Destruction of Iraq's Past

Edited by Geoff Emberling and Katharyn Hanson

Oriental Institute Museum Publication 28
Chicago: The Oriental Institute
ISBN-10: 1-885923-56-2
ISBN-13: 978-1-885923-56-1
$29.95

With an introduction by Professor McGuire Gibson, this up-to-date account describes the
state of the Iraq National Museum in Baghdad and chronicles the damage done to
archaeological sites by illicit digging.
Contributors include Donny George, John M. Russell, Katharyn Hanson, Clemens Reichel,
Elizabeth C. Stone, and Patty Gerstenblith. Published in conjunction with the exhibit of
the same name opening at the Oriental Institute April 10, 2008, this book commemorates the
fifth anniversary of the looting of the Iraq National Museum.

Pp. 88; 48 illustrations, most in color

- Foreword. Gil J. Stein
- Preface. Geoff Emberling
- Map of Iraq
- Time Line of Events
- The Looting of the Iraq Museum in Context. McGuire Gibson, Oriental Institute, University
of Chicago
- The Looting of the Iraq Museum Complex. Donny George, Stony Brook University
- Efforts to Control Damage to Sites and Monuments. John M. Russell,Massachusetts College of
Art and Design
- Why Does Archaeological Context Matter? Katharyn Hanson, University of Chicago
- Cataloging the Losses: The Oriental Institute¹s Iraq Museum Database Project. Clemens
Reichel, Oriental Institute, University of Chicago
- Archaeological Site Looting: The Destruction of Cultural Heritage in Southern Iraq.
Elizabeth C. Stone, Stony Brook University
- Legal Aspects of Controlling the International Market in Looted Antiquities: The Paradigm
of Iraq. Patti Gerstenblith, DePaul University

•

University of Chicago
Oriental Institute Symposium:
Looting the Cradle of Civilization: The Loss of History in Iraq

This special event takes place during the 5th anniversary of the looting of the Iraq National Museum in Baghdad.

Saturday, April 12
9:30-4pm; Reception follows
$65 Oriental Institute members; $75 non-members; $25 students
Pre-registration required.
Call 773-702-9507

The looting of the Iraq National Museum in Baghdad stunned the world in April 2003. Much less well known is the ongoing looting of archaeological sites throughout Iraq, which poses an even greater threat to the history of the land that gave the world its earliest writing system, the first cities, and the concept of the rule of law.

Examine the archaeological tragedy taking place in Iraq with scholars and experts who have experienced the situation at first hand. Hear the latest information on the looting of the Baghdad museum, discover how scholars are helping to protect Iraq's threatened archaeological sites, and learn how the laws safeguarding cultural property in wartime are being challenged in Iraq.

Symposium speakers include:
* Donny George, former director of the Iraq Museum in Baghdad
* Patty Gerstenblith, Professor, College of Law, DePaul University, Chicago, and
Director of DePaul's Program on Cultural Heritage Law
* McGuire Gibson, Professor of Mesopotamian Archaeology, University of
Chicago.
*Abdulamir Hamdani, Director of Antiquities in Nasiriya Province in southern Iraq
* John Russell, Professor of Art at Massachusetts College and former Deputy
Advisor to the Iraqi Minister of Culture and the Coalition Provisional Authority
* Elizabeth Stone, Professor of Mesopotamian Archaeology at SUNY
Stonybrook University, New York.

Offered in conjunction with the special Oriental Institute exhibit "Catastrophe: The
Looting and Destruction of Iraq's Past," this symposium also includes a viewing of the exhibit and the world-renowned collection of ancient art and artifacts on display in the Oriental Institute Museum's Mesopotamian Gallery.

A brief recap of foreign assistance during the last five sad years

2008-04-09T22:58:00.010-07:00

At the occasion of the exhibition and symposium in Chicago (see next post), I received a request by a journalist to explain who all was involved in the efforts to salvage as much as possible of the archaeological heritage of Iraq. Needless to say, many parties outside Iraq have been involved. I here repeat with only minor alterations what I gave as an answer.

•

The U of Chicago Oriental Institute (Dr. McG. Gibson) did lend its considerable academic weight through participation in and initiating several approaches. You know of course Clemens Reichel's "Lost Treasures from Iraq" project which did a good job at first though later petered out. The latter was understandable to a certain extent as the continuation was costlier and more time consuming than the "low fruit" that was catalogued first, while at the same time some of the primary roles for the project had been fulfilled: providing a type collection online for police, customs, FBI, Interpol, military, etc. to compare probably looted artifacts against. It also was able to function as an educational tool for schools and so on. Even more important however has been the OI's continuing patronage of the Iraqcrisis mailing list, administered by the very capable and tenacious Chuck Jones (who continued in this role even after leaving the OI's employ).

Dr. Elizabeth Stone of Stonybrook University (NY) has also played a very important part, first by training and assisting Iraqi colleagues and then also by her project to study satellite photos in order to detect and analyze looting of sites in Iraq (see for instance this recent article).

The British Museum in London sent conservators to Baghdad in the beginning and has assisted Iraqi colleagues in many ways. Italian conservators esp. have also been very active, even on location in Baghdad through the years. They basically helped to get a working lab again at the Museum and assisted in the first steps toward fixing the Museum. The Italian military in Nasiriyyah were the only "Alliance" forces who took guarding the archaeological sites to heart. Drs. John Russell and Zainab Bahrani took time off from their university jobs to serve as cultural (i.e., heritage) adviser to the CPA/US Embassy in Iraq and conservator René Teijgeler from the Netherlands also tried to effect the gigantic military apparatus in Iraq to not cause even more damage.

The World Monument Fund/Getty Conservation Institute as well as the Global Heritage Fund organized archaeological site management and valorization training and support. Among the professional academic associations, the Archaeological Institute of America has been the most active and was particularly effective in getting far-reaching legislation passed in Congress to protect Iraq's heritage.

More on the public front, Cindy Ho's SAFE - Saving Antiquities For Everyone was actually formed in reaction to the events in Baghdad in 2003. They have tried to keep the issue of looting of and illegal trade in archaeological artifacts in the public mind. My own one-man initiative, "The Iraq War & Archaeology," served from the very beginning as the point of reference for all involved or interested in Iraq's heritage: academics, journalists, decision-makers, the general public. I gathered and annotated all available news till 2006. The archive is still available.

There were of course many more initiatives and commitments by a long list of institutions and organizations from many countries, too long to list here (see for instance on this page).

Global Candlelight Vigil commemorating the 5th anniversary of the looting of the National Museum in Baghdad

2008-03-20T12:29:00.004-07:00

New York—March 10, 2008—The nonprofit organization SAFE/Saving antiquities for Everyone, Inc., today announced its plans to organize, promote and help facilitate a three-day Global Candlelight Vigil on April 10-12, 2008 to mark the fifth anniversary of the looting of the Iraq Museum in Baghdad. The Vigil, endorsed by the Iraq Museum’s former Director General Dr. Donny George, aims to draw attention to the thousands of priceless artifacts still missing from the Museum and the ongoing looting and destruction of Iraq’s more than 10,000 registered archaelogical sites.

SAFE is promoting the Global Candlelight Vigil at http://www.savingantiquities.org/attendvigil.php. SAFE is also supplying schools, universities, museums, and organizations with a downloadable Vigil tools including announcement flyers, videos and a brochure prepared in cooperation with The Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago.

During the three-day Vigil period—April 10, 11 and 12—groups from California to Baghdad will gather, light a candle, pause for a moment of silence and discuss the serious issues of museum security, the looting of ancient sites and global trade in illicit antiquities.

As Dr. George has said: “On the 13th of April, when I went back to the Museum, it was as if a hurricane had hit. What they could not take, they smashed… But the main problem was the looting of the archaeological sites” because whenever objects are looted from the ground, the cultural and historical information that proper excavation would have yielded is lost forever. “It is not something we are losing and tomorrow we can buy again. It is the memory of the Iraqi people, the memories of mankind.”

Last year, SAFE President Cindy Ho conceived of the Global Candlelight Vigil for the Iraq Museum as a way to call attention to an ongoing cultural heritage crisis. “Heightened public awareness does increase pressure on governments to enforce existing laws and treaties, which can help to curb the trade in illicit antiquities from Iraq and looted archaeological sites around the world,” says Ms. Ho. “By working with Dr. George and groups around the world, SAFE hopes to again focus the world’s attention on these issues.”

After the Global Candlelight Vigil concludes, SAFE plans to compile photographs and videos from the various gatherings in a video memorial.
As Vigil events are confirmed, information for those who wish to attend an event in their vicinity will be available at http://www.savingantiquities.org/attendvigil.php.

I finally got to meet my friend Donny George

2008-03-02T23:45:00.010-08:00

Last Saturday, March 1, I was lucky enough to finally meet Dr. Donny George, former head of the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage, in person. As I expected, he was warm and generous of spirit. Incredibly enough, even though we've known each other ever since the Iraq War started in 2003, it has always been through email. Still, I felt like I knew him, shared something deep down with him in our mutual love for Iraq's heritage. It was an enormous relief when Donny and his wife and 3 kids fled Iraq because I no longer had to be worried sick about their safety. From what he told me they are doing very well in Stony Brook. He was here in California for only one day, at the Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga as part of the months-long IRAQ:REFRAME series of events and exhibits. He participated in a lecture/talk together with Matthew Bogdanos. I applaud Montalvo for their efforts to highlight the arts of Iraq, modern as well as ancient, going against the current mainstream which is turning its attention away more and more of the "inconvenient" quagmire that is the Land Between the Rivers.

P.S.: I now work as a program developer for the Alexandria Archive Institute here in San Francisco (part time). Our main project is Open Context: a free, open access resource for the electronic publication of primary field research from archaeology and related disciplines. Open Context provides an integrated framework for users to search, explore, analyze, compare and tag items from diverse field projects and collections.

4th anniversary

2007-04-14T22:14:00.000-07:00

Bye

2006-11-26T11:42:00.000-08:00

Blog and site are going on indefinite hiatus.

Francis Deblauwe
fdeblauwe [at] gmail [dot] com
(312) 217-7689

Dr. Kathryn Slanski

2006-11-23T23:54:00.000-08:00

"Kathryn Slanski is an Assyriologist and a lecturer in the department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations [at Yale University] whose research in ancient Mesopotamia dovetails with her interest in the modern Middle East. ... As looters search only for precious objects, they destroy the physical place in which those objects are found; they search for things which will bring them cash, but also destroy the archaeological record so valuable to scholars. 'That looks very bad for future understanding of our past,' Slanski said. 'We will get some of the objects back, but we will never be able to reconstruct how they looked, the relationship in which they lie with other objects around them.' Slanski and her colleagues joke that when the war is over, they will go to Iraq and excavate the dirt that the looters threw to the side, but, as Slanski said, 'the way things are now, the future looks pretty black.' As a self-proclaimed eternal optimist, however, Slanski is not content simply to rest her feet on a soapbox; her dark clothing and soft voice hide her willingness to get her hands dirty."

"In the summer of 2004, she and her husband, Eckart Frahm, a professor in Assyriology—whom she met at an Annual International Assyriologists Conference in 2000—went to Amman, Jordan, with a few colleagues on a three-million-dollar USAID grant. [this was the USAID Iraq-HEAD project, headquartered at Stony Brook University] They gave daily lectures to the 56 Iraqi professors and graduate students who came, provided them with scanned literature and images they didn’t have access to, and invested in building construction and computer equipment. ... At the end of the program, Slanski and Frahm were optimistic that the following summer, they’d be able to bring the most promising students to study abroad at Yale. The second summer program never happened. As the situation in Iraq worsened, the State Department pulled their funding and diverted all of it to security; it also became impossible for the Iraqi students to leave their own country. 'It was too dangerous for these Iraqis to be associated with us,' Slanski said. Her voice was quiet as she spoke of her students, her nose a little red. She hasn’t heard from them in over a year. 'I’m heartbroken when I think about them. They’re not the only individuals in Iraq, but they’re the ones I know,' she said. 'And statistically, some of them have died. They would have to have died.' Thousands of archaeological sites are destroyed on a daily basis; all academics who could have left Iraq have done so because of threats to their lives and their families.”

Reference
• L. Yao, "War Stories. Dodging bullets or trading barbs, Yalies throw themselves into the Iraq war," in The Yale Herald (Connecticut), 42, 11 (November 16, 2006)

Iraqcrisis Digest feature poll

2006-11-23T23:42:00.000-08:00

Do you like the inclusion of the new Iraqcrisis Digest feature on this IW&A Blog? You know, the automatic (well, sort of) mailing list digests interspersed between my regular posts? Please let me know by voting at the Iraqcrisis Digest feature poll. It will only take a second. Thanks!

Iraqcrisis digest, Vol 1 #744 - 1 msg

2006-11-23T23:34:00.000-08:00

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Date: Nov 23, 2006 12:00 PM
Subject: Iraqcrisis digest, Vol 1 #744 - 1 msg
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Today's Topics:

1. Forged Iraq art used to fund terrorism -UK police (Gerstenblith, Patty)

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Forged Iraq art used to fund terrorism -UK police
22 Nov 2006 16:12:00 GMT
Source: Reuters

More LONDON, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Criminal gangs in Iraq and the Middle =
East
are selling forged art works on auction Web site eBay and in antique =
markets
in Britain to help fund terrorism, British police said on Wednesday.

The extent of the scam was not clear but the items, purportedly Iraqi or
heirlooms from the region, could each sell for up to a couple of =
thousand
pounds (dollars), according to London police's Arts and Antiques Unit.

"Archaeological stuff is being exported by the ton-load from Middle =
Eastern
countries and (the money) is going back into the Middle East area and =
some
will inevitably end up in the hands of terrorists," Detective Constable =
Ian
Lawson told reporters.

"We know for a fact there is a terrorism link."

"There's a trend where items are faked in Iraq and brought into the UK," =
he
said.

The goods were then sold to tourists or minor collectors.

In the aftermath of the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, thousands of
treasures were looted from the country and smuggled out to collectors =
across
the world.

Lawson said criminals had got round subsequent bans on the sale of any =
item
taken out of Iraq after 1990 by labelling artworks as "Mesopotamian".

Lawson, speaking at an exhibition of faked and forged artwork seized by =
his
London unit, held up as an example a "Mesopotamian" cone supposedly =
dating
from 2,100 to 1,800 BC.

"We have reason to believe the funds are going back into Iraq possibly =
to
fund terrorism or insurgents there," Lawson said, although he added =
there
had been no prosecutions so far.

Article posted by
Patty Gerstenblith
Professor, DePaul University
College of Law

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Dorothy & Donny

2006-11-22T21:10:00.000-08:00

I'm glad to see that Dr. Dorothy King got to know the real Dr. Donny George: "I can't go into details of my interview of Dr. George today as I promised it to Minerva*, but I will say that I have changed my mind about the man completely. He had solid answers for every question, and the evidence he showed during his lecture [at the British Museum, see my November 17 post Donny George moving to Stony Brook] clarified a lot of issues I had had with press reports about the looting of the Iraq Museum. There is nothing more that he could have done to safeguard the Museum, and the Americans had other priorities. And the worst 'evidence' I was given against him was frankly rather silly. There is propaganda on both sides. ... the man is brilliant and came across as being honest and deeply committed to Iraq and Iraqi archaeology. I was very impressed with all the work he is continuing to do for Iraqi archaeology, still collaborating with those now in charge, and that he has maintained friendly relations with his successors, contrary to press reports. They all want to do their best for Iraqi archaeology rather than get involved in politics. I've hugely miss-judged the man, and apologise for it. I'm often surprised how little some American officials I meet know about Islam/Muslim culture or the Middle East. If the State Department and Pentagon have any sense, they'll get Dr. George to advise them."

Reference
• D. King, "Iraqi Archaeology and Donny George," in PhDiva, online, November 17, 2006

Iraqcrisis digest, Vol 1 #743 - 4 msgs

2006-11-22T20:50:00.000-08:00

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<iraqcrisis-request@listhost.uchicago.edu>
Date: Nov 21, 2006 12:00 PM
Subject: Iraqcrisis digest, Vol 1 #743 - 4 msgs
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Today's Topics:

1. The joint letter of the Middle East Studies
Association and the American Association
of University Professors on the killing of
Iraqi academics (cejo@uchicago.edu)

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The joint letter of the Middle East Studies Association and the
American Association of University
Professors on the killing of Iraqi academics:

http://www.mesa.arizona.edu/about/cafmenaletters.htm#NouriKamalalMaliki

'November 10, 2006

Honorable Nouri Kamal al-Maliki
Prime Minister of the Republic of Iraq
c/o The Embassy of Iraq
1801 P Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036 USA
Fax: (202) 462-5066

Dear Prime Minister al-Maliki:

We write to you on behalf of the Middle East Studies Association
(MESA) and the American
Association of University (AAUP) to express our grave concern over the
killing of two of Iraq's
most prominent academics: Isam al-Rawi, a professor in the Department
of Geology at the University
of Baghdad and president of the Union of University Professors, and
Jassim al-Asadi, Dean of the
University of Baghdad's School of Administration and Economics.

Professor al-Rawi was killed by unknown gunmen on October 30, 2006, on
his way to work. Then, on
November 2, 2006, in an act which many observers see as revenge for
the earlier killing, unknown
gunmen murdered Professor al-Asadi, his wife and son as they passed by
car through the
neighborhood of al-Adhamiyya.

Their murder highlights the startling fact that over 180 university
professionals in Iraq have
been killed since the 2003 US-led occupation and thousands of
academics, teachers, clinicians,
writers and artists have fled your country. We note that entire
academic departments at Baghdad
University and on other campuses have been forced to close down and
are no longer able to fulfill
their educational and research missions.

As we have previously noted, the present Government of Iraq has done
little to ensure the safety
of academics since it took office. A significant portion of the
current violence against academics
has been perpetrated by sectarian militias affiliated with the ruling
political coalitions.
Professors have been threatened, harmed, kidnapped and assassinated
because of their actual or
alleged political affiliations, or because they failed to respond
resolutely to demands of
students for special treatment. Communities of students are becoming
politicized in a way that
threatens the institutionalization of tolerance and the protection of
intellectual diversity.

We ask your Excellency to recognize that the destruction of Iraq's
intellectual and academic class
through murder and mass exodus is a profound challenge to the future
of Iraq and that you take
immediate action to:

1) Secure the campuses in Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq;
2) Affirm the independence of Iraq's system of higher education,
immunize it against sectarian politics as far as possible and provide
for it a budget that is institutionally protected from partisan or sectarian
pressures; and
3) Identify the murderers of Professors al-Rawi and al-Asadi and bring
them to justice.

Please know that we remain ready to take steps, together and with
sister organizations, to promote
programs and policies in Iraq and on behalf of the international
community of scholars and
researchers that will resolutely address this disturbing situation.

Sincerely,

Juan R.I. Cole
MESA President

Roger W. Bowen
AAUP General Secretary

cc: Ambassador Samir Sumaidaie
The Embassy of Iraq
1801 P Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036 USA
Fax: (202) 462-5066 '

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Iraqcrisis digest, Vol 1 #742 - 2 msgs

2006-11-17T23:24:00.000-08:00

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Subject: Iraqcrisis digest, Vol 1 #742 - 2 msgs
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Today's Topics:

1. Iraq Archaeology Appeal / Donny George moving
to Stony Brook (cejo@uchicago.edu)

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Dorothy King, blogging from the Archaeology in Conflict Conference
(http://www.ucl.ac.uk/caa/programme/index.htm) in London, passes on an
appeal from Abbas Al-
Hussainy, the new Director-General of the State Board of Antiquities
and Heritage
(http://phdiva.blogspot.com/2006/11/iraq-archaeology-appeal.html.

She also reports that Donny George is moving to Stony Brook
(http://phdiva.blogspot.com/2006/11/donny-george-moving-to-stony-brook.html)

-Chuck Jones-

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Anatomy of a Civil War

2006-11-17T23:13:00.000-08:00

This is a must read: a long, in-depth article by Nir Rosen on how the civil war came about in Iraq. Yes, it is a civil war already, forget the silliness about whether the country is on the brink or not. One has to wear ideological blinders not to see it for what it is. The sickening, grisly carnage, with its tortured, mutilated corpses being dumped by morning on the streets has become a morbid routine. Gunfire is everywhere. Sectarian identities, not of real importance before, have become paramount. Secular, middle-class professionals have fled abroad, barricade themselves in their homes or reluctantly pretend to be something they're not or at least didn't use to be: partisans, "true believers." Rosen surmises that Iraq as a nation state is doomed, no matter what the US does now. He thinks the Shi'ite Arabs will push the Sunni Arabs out of Baghdad altogether and attempt to do the same for Anbar province. A regional war will eventually ensue. Meanwhile, politicians and their ilk in Washington, DC keep on talking about options and plans... but even a new Democratic majority in Congress won't be able to change the facts on the ground in Iraq. I do want to believe that Rosen is wrong, too pessimistic. However, I cannot convincingly disprove his analysis. Needless to say, ancient archaeological sites, the remnants of civilizations past that are today already basically available for the taking in a free-for-all, would be decimated utterly beyond belief should the ultimate cataclysm occur. But as the 100,000s of Iraqi dead due to the War would cross into a million and more, any concern for antiquities by us conceited Westerners verily would be nothing but obscene.

Reference
• N. Rosen, "Anatomy of a Civil War. Iraq’s descent into chaos," in Boston Review, 31, 6 (November-December 2006)

SBAH appeal at "Archaeology in Conflict" Conference

2006-11-17T00:15:00.000-08:00

At the Archaeology in Conflict Conference in London last week, Dr. Abbas Al-Hussainy, the new Chairman of the SBAH, launched an appeal "to archaeologists and universities who had in the past excavated in Iraq, or who wished to continue working in Iraq, to get in touch. The archaeological records for many sites, such as Babylon, were lost, and so they need help to reconstruct old excavations and to find out what people plan for future excavations." (King).

Reference
• D. King, "Iraq Archaeology Appeal," in PhDiva (UK), online, November 16, 2006

Donny George moving to Stony Brook

2006-11-16T23:36:00.000-08:00

From Dr. Dorothy King's PhDiva blog: "Donny George gave a lecture at the British Museum this evening. He was introduced by Neil MacGregor, and the news is that he will be moving from Damascus to Stony Brook University, New York. Elizabeth Stone, who has done a great deal of work on Iraqi archaeology, teaches there, and will help him continue his work." Dr. Stone led the USAID Iraq-HEAD project (Higher Education and Development for Archaeology and Environmental Health Research) that ran from 2003 to 2004 but whose funding was not renewed. Lately, she has been working on using satellite imagery to track looting of archaeological sites in Iraq. Her colleague, husband and long-time collaborator, Dr. Paul Zimansky, has also joined her at Stony Brook, leaving his position at Boston University. I'd love to hear more about all the plans!

Reference
• D. King, "Donny George Moving to Stony Brook," in PhDiva (UK), online, November 16, 2006

Academics in Iraq: a vanishing breed?

2006-11-16T13:55:00.000-08:00

The brazen kidnapping of up to 150 empoyees and visitors of a Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research facility last Tuesday is but the latest example of a long, continuing slide toward a wholesale destruction of the academic enterprise in Iraq. Stannard:

"The daylight attack reportedly was carried out by attackers wearing the blue camouflage uniforms of police commandos. They stormed the building after clearing the area in the guise of providing security for a visit from the U.S. ambassador, ... They forced dozens of men and women into separate rooms, handcuffed the men and loaded them aboard about 20 pickup trucks." "More than 100 academics -- more than 180, by some estimates -- have been slain since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, and 40 percent of Iraq's professional class has fled the country since that year, according to an estimate by the Brookings Institution. Abdul Sattar Jawad, ... onetime dean at two universities in Baghdad, ... 'This is the rule of the militias, the mob, the riffraff of people. They don't like education, they don't like intellectuals,' Jawad, now a fellow at Duke University, said from North Carolina. 'And now the campuses are overruled by the firebrand clerics, by the religious militias.' Many past attacks on Iraqi academics have probably been committed by Sunni insurgent groups, said Juan Cole, a Middle East expert at the University of Michigan. 'The Sunni Arab guerrilla movement wants to destabilize Iraq. ... they also do target other kinds of pillars of the establishment." "At the higher education building, those kidnapped included employees and visitors, janitors and Ph.D.s, even a deputy general director of the agency. They included Sunni Muslims and Shiite Muslims, Kurds and Christians." "Al-Maliki, who leads a Shiite-dominated Iraqi government, appeared to minimize the importance of Tuesday's kidnappings. 'What is happening is not terrorism, but the result of disagreements and conflict between militias belonging to this side or that,' ..."

The Guardian reports that "[k]idnappers who abducted scores of Iraqis from an education ministry building in Baghdad have tortured and killed some of them, a government official said today. ... details of the hostages' ordeal had been revealed by people who had been freed. ... Around 70 have ... been released. ... The education minister, Abed Theyab - a member of a Sunni Arab party in Iraq's Shia-led government - has reiterated his decision to boycott the government until all the hostages are released, ..."

As mentioned, this is part of an all-too-familiar trend. A few examples:

• Sep. 2003: Chemistry professor at el-Basrah University killed (The BRussells Tribunal n.d.)
• Jan. 2004: dean of Political Studies at el-Mustansiriyyah University killed in a drive-by shooting (Middle East Studies Association November 5, 2004)
• June 2004: dean of Mosul University’s Law School murdered (Middle East Studies Association November 5, 2004)
• Dec. 2004: assistant dean of Baghdad's medical college killed (Crain)
• May 2005: researcher in the Date Palm Research Center at el-Basrah University killed (The BRussells Tribunal n.d.)
• July 2005: Art History professor at el-Basrah University assassinated (The BRussells Tribunal n.d.)
• Apr. 2006: Psychology professor killed, University of Karbala (The BRussells Tribunal n.d.)
• Aug. 2006: 2 University of Diyala professors gunned down in Baqubah (al-Makhzoomi)
• Aug. 2006: Dr. Donny George, Chairman of the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage, flees (IW&A Documents, 10)
• Oct. 2006: Geology professor at Baghdad University, head of the (Sunni) University Professors Union, gunned down outside his home (Salaheddin and The BRussells Tribunal October 30, 2006)

Did I mention that the general academic climate isn't exactly conducive to learning already? As the Middle East Studies Association and the American Association of University Professors recently stated: "Virtually every Iraqi institution of higher education is at risk. Universities, colleges, and research institutions operate under severe political duress and without adequate resources, transparent funding mechanisms, or the civil and legal protections needed to nurture and promote a vibrant intellectual climate and civil society." The only discussion left is how many professors/academics have already been killed and how many have fled in exile since the start of the Iraq War. These are the estimates I've come across:

• 20 to 300 killed, 100 to 2,000 exiled (Crain, Jan. 2005)
• 78 killed (Middle East Studies Association, Nov. 2004)
• 100 to 180 killed, 40% exiled (Stannard, Nov. 2006)
• 180 killed, 3,250 exiled (Salaheddin, Oct. 2006)
• 227 killed (Jalili, May 2006)
• 300 killed, 4,000 exiled (al-Makhzoomi, Aug. 2006)

The most thorough study so far into this dark phenomenon was done by Dr. Ismail Jalili; the two pie charts included in this post are taken from his research.

References
• Ch. Crain, "Approximately 300 academics have been killed," in USA Today, January 17, 2005
• I. Jalili, "Plight of Iraqi Academics. Presented at the Madrid International Conference on the Assassinations of Iraqi Academics, 23–24 April, 2006. Updated 1 May, 2006," in The American Academic Research Institute in Iraq, online, May 1, 2006
• S. al-Makhzoomi, "Two more university professors killed in Baaquba," in Alzaman (Iraq), August 23, 2006
• S. Salaheddin, "Sunni activist professor killed in Iraq," in The State (North Carolina), October 30, 2006
• M.B. Stannard, "Education Ministry kidnappings reflect plight of Iraqi academics," in San Francisco Chronicle, November 15, 2006
• "Joint statement by MESA, AAUP, AAAS: "Iraq: Higher Education and Academic Freedom in Danger"," in Middle East Studies Association, online, November 5, 2004
• "Professors’ Associations Decry Violence Against Academic Colleagues in Iraq," in Middle East Studies Association, online, July 5, 2006
• "Dr. Issam Al Rawi has been murdered," in The BRussells Tribunal (Belgium), online, October 30, 2006
• "Some Iraq hostages tortured and killed, official says," in The Guardian (UK), November 16, 2006
• "List of killed, threatened or kidnapped Iraqi Academics," in The BRussells Tribunal (Belgium), online, continuously updated

Iraqcrisis digest, Vol 1 #741 - 3 msgs

2006-11-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

From: iraqcrisis-request@listhost.uchicago.edu
<iraqcrisis-request@listhost.uchicago.edu>
Date: Nov 15, 2006 12:00 PM
Subject: Iraqcrisis digest, Vol 1 #741 - 3 msgs
To: iraqcrisis@listhost.uchicago.edu

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Today's Topics:

1. Gunmen grab up to 150 from Baghdad research
institute (cejo@uchicago.edu)
2. assistance to Iraqi scholars (public international law) (Fischer, Judith)

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"BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Gunmen clad in Iraqi National Police uniforms
kidnapped between 100 and
150 people at a government research institute in Baghdad Tuesday
morning, forcing the minister of
higher education to order universities closed until security improves.

The daytime raid, considered possibly the largest ever in Baghdad,
involved up to 80 gunmen and
targeted the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific
Research-Scholarships and Cultural
Relations Directorate building, Minister Abed Dhiyab al-Ajili told
parliament..."

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/11/14/iraq.main/index.html

Message: 2
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From: "Fischer, Judith" <J.Fischer@law.uu.nl>
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------_=_NextPart_001_01C708C4.27C61F3A
Content-Type: text/plain

Dear Madam, Sir,

Mr Abdelaziz Abid of UNESCO kindly passed on your details re. the following
request made to him earlier. In advance, please accept my apologies for the
direct nature of my request.

The reason for approaching you is that I would likt to make contact with one
or more academic colleagues from Iraq, i.e. international lawyers who
perform research at one of the academic institutions in Iraq. I would like
to see whether I can offer assistance on an individual basis with respect to
their work as a scholar, as I imagine that these days work must be
incredibly hard or even impossible in circumstances like that. As regards my
own background, I am an academic working as a research associate at Utrecht
University Law School, Department of Public International Law. This is the
reason that I have access to a range of resources, both digitally and hard
copy, and expertise.

In short, I am looking for one or more research associates, possibly in the
PhD phase in the field of public international law, working in Iraq. My
assistance could take various forms, including sending articles,
reviewing/commenting on work, editorial/quality assistance or other
assistance mutually agreed on. In this respect, it would be convenient -
though not pertinent - if the designated person(s) has/have access to
internet.

I would of course be interested to hear about the activities of your
organization. Should you require additional information from my side, please
let me know and I am happy to supply it.

I would be extremely grateful for any assistance from your side. Thank you
very much in advance and I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest
possible convenience.

Yours sincerely,
Judith Fischer,
Research Associate

Netherlands Institute for the Law of the Sea
University of Utrecht
Faculty of Law
Achter Sint Pieter 200
3512 HT Utrecht
The Netherlands
(t) +31.(0)30.253 7541
(f) +31.(0)30.253 7073
(m) +31.(0)642.730 209
(e) <mailto:j.fischer@law.uu.nl> j.fischer@law.uu.nl

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Receive new posts in your e-mail inbox

2006-11-15T09:11:00.000-08:00

You can now register to receive new posts to the IW&A Blog in your e-mail inbox. Direct your browser to http://www.rssfwd.com, enter this blog's URL: http://iwa.univie.ac.at , and then your e-mail address and you're done. Many thanks to Chuck Jones for introducing me to this service!

Dr. Leon De Meyer (1928-2006)

2006-11-15T08:18:00.000-08:00

I just learned that Dr. Leon de Meyer, the doyen of Assyriology in Belgium, passed away about two weeks ago. His family gave him a quiet burial and only made it public now. He was rector or president of the Rijksuniversiteit Gent as it was still called in 1985-1993 (now Universiteit Gent).He led the Belgian excavations at Tell el-Der (ancient Sippar) in Iraq which among other things found the Archive of Ur-Utu a.k.a. the Sippar Library. This collection of cuneiform tablets was found still on its shelves, a unique find (see for instance my note on a lecture on an aspect of this archive at the 2005 Rencontre). He also was the driving force behind the Assyriological Center (formerly Foundation) Georges Dossin and its journal Akkadica. He was was given the title of baron in 1992.

He was an outspoken advocate of the archaeological heritage of Iraq and was active from the beginning in international efforts to mitigate the destructive impact of the Iraq War. He last joined the September 23 appeal by prominent archaeologists to the Iraqi authorities (see my November 1 post We, the undersigned, ...). The Universiteit Gent will hold a special academic session in his honor on November 20 (for details, unfortunately only in Dutch, see Universiteit Gent).

References
• F. Verhoest, "Rector Leon De Meyer maakte Gentse universiteit weer trots. Postuum," in De Standaard (Belgium), November 15, 2006
• "Herdenkingszitting ererector Leon De Meyer (14-11-2006)," in Universiteit Gent (Belgium), online, November 14, 2006

Rumsfeld & the Lion of Babylon

2006-11-14T20:08:00.000-08:00

"Moayyed Mohsen likes to paint great figures from Iraq's past like the mythical hero Gilgamesh. But this year he turned his talents to another larger-than-life subject in his country's history -- Donald Rumsfeld. Dominating the wall of a Baghdad art gallery in the Sunni neighborhood of Adhamiyah is a massive mural that is no tribute to the outgoing US defense secretary. Rumsfeld is depicted leaning back reading papers, with combat-boot-clad feet propped up on a ruined building. Beside him is a weathered image of the Lion of Babylon -- potent symbol of Iraq's illustrious past -- atop a ruined plinth. The US official is surrounded by whirling bits of paper that morph into birds and fly off into the distance. The artist's image is striking and it was conceived in anger -- not just over the occupation of Iraq but also over what Mohsen sees as the humiliation of a nation that once taught mankind how to write."

"His resignation on November 8 -- the first casualty of the Republican defeat in mid-term congressional elections last week -- met with almost universal acclaim across Iraq's divided communities, who seem to agree on little else than the situation in their war-ravaged country is getting worse by the day. Many Iraqis feel the US defense secretary's handling of the war showed arrogance and disdain for their country -- tellingly symbolized by his famous quip that 'stuff happens' when asked to comment on the looting of Baghdad, including its museum, in the invasion's aftermath." "In the Middle East, showing the soles of one's feet is considered very poor manners, so the Rumsfeld in the painting automatically offends the viewer. The Lion of Babel atop a ruined perch sends another message. 'I decided to make the base of the statue a bookcase containing volumes on the arts, literature and knowledge left by Iraqis,' he said. 'Then I destroyed the base to symbolize the repeated wars and showed the papers flying through the air and changing into white birds showing love and peace to the world.' By juxtaposing his subject with ancient monuments, Mohsen sought to pit the endurance of history against the fleeting nature of man ..."

Reference
• A. Abboud, "Iraqi artist paints Rumsfeld gloating over ruins of Iraq," in Yahoo! News, online, November 14, 2006

Donny George's exile & the state of the SBAH

2006-11-12T02:01:00.000-08:00

I just finished IW&A Document no. 10: Donny George's Exile and the State of the SBAH. I thought it would be useful to recapitulate and analyze the events that surrounded Dr. Donny George's exile and what this means for the future of the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage. Read all about it!

Codex game show

2006-11-11T20:55:00.000-08:00

From The Times of London: "Museums at night can be spooky places. Did that statue of an Assyrian man-beast stir? Was that a creaking noise coming from the shrivelled mummy in the Egyptian sarcophagus? Hoping to exploit this unsettling atmosphere, Diverse Production has hooked up with the British Museum to produce Codex, an archaeological game show, combining arcane scripts, coded clues and riddles with ancient history-lite." "Like the show, we start in the Arched Room, a huge gallery that houses the museum’s collection of about 130,000 clay tablets of cuneiform writing from Ancient Mesopotamia. The curator, Irving Finkel, explains that most tablets have yet to be translated. They include histories, dictionaries, grammars, financial records and incredibly detailed and accurate astronomical observations that have allowed scholars to date historical events exactly. Irving belongs to a tiny community of international experts who can read cuneiform, though the wicked thought crosses my mind that few would know if he was making it all up. The script, with its tiny wedge-shaped markings, was used to write all-important Middle Eastern languages for thousands of years. Scholars don’t know how far back it stretches, as all the examples dug up so far are in a fully formed version [sic]. Apparently there are mounds of debris all over Iraq still waiting to be excavated, and being ruthlessly pillaged by thieves during the current occupation." "Other tablets reveal that teachers used to keep pupils amused during grammar classes by getting them to conjugate the verb 'to fart'. ... Then it’s on to the winged bulls and violent Assyrian friezes. To be honest, my tour of the museum with Irving seems more fun than the show, but don’t let me put you off. Mesopotamia is followed by episodes on Rome, China, the Anglo-Saxons and Egypt. You can play along at home ..."

I'm curious how this goes... The first, Mesopotamian episode airs tomorrow (Sunday) on the UK's Channel 4 at 6:40 p.m. Can someone from Britain let me know how they liked it?

Reference
• P. Hoggart, "It's all Babylonian to me. In the dim recesses of the British Museum Paul Hoggart journeys to Mesopotamia with Tony Robinson’s history quiz," in The Times (UK), November 11, 2006

Archaeos.org mirror is being updated again

2006-11-10T08:41:00.000-08:00

The archaeos.org mirror site of this blog and the web site are being updated again along with the main univie.ac.at server files. The internal hard drive malfunction on my computer is more or less fixed--I hope.

Fwd: Iraqcrisis digest, Vol 1 #740 - 1 msg

2006-11-10T04:14:00.000-08:00

From: iraqcrisis-request@listhost.uchicago.edu
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Today's Topics:

1. Open Context: Iraq Heritage Program (cejo@uchicago.edu)

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Open Context, a free, open access resource for the electronic
publication of primary field
research from archaeology and related disciplines has a new project
entitled "Iraq Heritage
Program"
http://www.opencontext.org/database/project.php?item=GHF1PRJ0000000025

-Chuck Jones-

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Fwd: Iraqcrisis digest, Vol 1 #739 - 4 msgs

2006-11-09T22:36:00.000-08:00

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Today's Topics:

1. reviw of: Polk & Schuster, eds. The Looting
of the Iraqi Museum... (cejo@uchicago.edu)
2. Northedge: Muslims need to be sensitised
to their own material past (cejo@uchicago.edu)

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Saving Iraq's heritage?
Three years after the US-led invasion, what is being done to secure
Iraq's cultural heritage and institutions, asks David Tresilian
__________________________________________________

[Review of:]
Milbry Polk & Angela Schuster, eds. The Looting of the Iraqi
Museum, Baghdad: The Lost Legacy of Ancient Mesopotamia. New York:
Harry Abrams, 2005.

in Al Ahram weekly
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/print/2006/818/cu2.htm

-Chuck Jones-

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Editorial in The Art Newspaper

http://www.theartnewspaper.com/article01.asp?id=487

-Chuck Jones-

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Dr. Çig update

2006-11-04T23:39:00.000-08:00

As you know from my November 2 post Dr. Çig quickly cleared in court, Dr. Çig left the courtroom in triumph:

This photo accompanies the NY Times article by Sebnem Arsu. We actually learn a new and important fact here: "As such, her satirical letter argued, the wearing of a head scarf should not indicate a woman’s morality or religious devotion in today’s world. This comparison and other satires appeared in her book 'My Reactions as a Citizen' ..." So it seems these letters were satirical in intent! "My Reactions to Citizenship," the stilted translation of the original title I used previously (October 22 post Muazzez Çığ) stands hereby corrected also. Arsu: "More than 50 people chanted slogans supporting Ms. Cig and applauded as she left the courthouse ..." USA Today added: "Cig rejected the charge in court saying: 'I am a woman of science. ... I never insulted anyone,' private NTV television reported. Twenty-five lawyers crammed into the small courtroom to defend her. In what some said was a move to avoid endangering Turkey's EU bid, the prosecution supported dropping the charge, saying Cig's actions had not in any way 'endangered public safety.'" I actually found an article mentioning the Assyriological community's support for Dr. Çig: "The Cig case reportedly has been criticised by Brussels [i.e., the EU]. It also drew fire from the International Association for Assyriology (IAA). 'A veteran researcher who, throughout a long career, has contributed to the recovery of the ancient past, Dr. Cig is a model representative of Turkish contribution to scholarship,' the IAA said in a statement on Tuesday, appealing for the dismissal of the charges." (Southeast European Times, a US Dept. of Defense web site).

One final note: my mention of the Armenian genocide along with "historical fact" in my October 22 post Muazzez Çığ caused some reaction... Let me put it this way: I am obviously not a scholar of the Ottoman empire, Turkish history, Armenian history or World War I. I followed in this what is the general educated consensus in Western Europe as far as I know. Granted that the picture was a lot more complicated and less black-and-white than it is often portrayed. I know, for instance, that the Turkish authorities were definitely not the only ones for whom there is evidence of less-than-exemplary behavior in this part of the world around that time. The Greeks come to mind... (please, no e-mails!). Anyway, my main point in the post in question was: "Nevertheless it does not invalidate [Çig's] cause. After all, she is not taking [Pamuk] to court or threatening him. She is entitled to her opinion just like he is." One must be able to agree to disagree.

References
• S. Arsu, "Turkish Scholar Who Mocked Head Scarves Is Acquitted," in The New York Times, November 2, 2006
• [S. Fraser], "Court acquits Turkish archaeologist charged for her view on head scarves," in USA Today, November 1, 2006
• "Turkish scholar acquitted of inciting religious hatred," in Southeast European Times, online, November 2, 2006

Iraqcrisis digest, Vol 1 #737-738

2006-11-02T16:01:00.000-08:00

Note from the IW&A Blog editor
As a new feature, I am introducing the daily digests of the Iraqcrisis e-mailing list. I start with manually posting two at once because the last one refers to the previous one. If I can work out the kinks, they will be posted automatically to the blog from now on. Iraqcrisis is run by the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute, more in specific by our good friend Chuck Jones. The list web site states it is a "moderated list on cultural property damaged, destroyed or lost from libraries and museums in Iraq during and after the Iraq War." I would say the War never really ended but I guess that's a discussion for another day... One final thing: e-mail attachments are not included in these digests nor are they archived on the Iraqcrisis web site. For those you need to be a subscriber, I'm afraid.

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1. AUL press release (cejo@uchicago.edu)

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For the record, the Association of University Lecturers press release
is publicly archived at
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-Chuck Jones-

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Many will know of the role the Iraqi Association of University Lecturers has played in publicizing
the dangers faced by academics in Iraq.

A couple of days ago I was sent the attached press release about an attack on the headquarters of
the AUL on October 9 by coalition forces and Iraqi Police.

On Monday, Issam al-Rawi, head of the AUL was murdered as he left his home:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=76526

-Chuck Jones-

[...]

Archaeos.org mirror not being updated untill further notice

2006-11-02T15:38:00.000-08:00

The archaeos.org mirror site of this blog and the web site as a whole won't be updated for a while, at least not untill I have dealt with an internal hard drive malfunction on my computer. Sorry guys! The univie.ac.at internet server is the primary location and will still be updated.

Dr. Çig quickly cleared in court

2006-11-01T22:58:00.000-08:00

Regarding the law suit against Dr. Çig (see October 31 post IAA appeal for Dr. Çig): she has been swiftly let off the hook by the judge. I quote from the International Association for Assyriology web site:

From the BBC came this encouraging message:

"A court in the Turkish city of Istanbul has acquitted a 92-year-old academic of charges of insulting Muslim women and inciting religious hatred.
Archaeologist Muazzez Ilmiye Cig was prosecuted over a book in which she linked the wearing of headscarves with ancient Sumerian sexual rites. The judge ruled at the first hearing of her trial that her actions did not constitute a crime. Dr Cig's publisher was also cleared in a trial lasting less than half an hour. The archaeologist was applauded by supporters as she left the courtroom"

The acquittal of all charges against Muazzez Ilmiye Çig and Ismet Ogutucu, her publisher, is very gratifying.

The International Association for Assyriology has received almost 150 responses to its appeal and we are heartened by it. The appeal is now suspended and we hope that there will be no future need for any similar call on behalf of intellectual rights and plea for legal sanity.

Update
See November 5 post Dr. Çig update.

We, the undersigned, ...

2006-10-31T22:15:00.000-08:00

At the end of September, a select group of eminent archaeologists sent a letter to the highest authorities of Iraq to plead for better protection of its archaeological heritage. It was released to the media toward the end of October. I quote:

September 23, 2006

H. E. Jalal Talabani, President of Iraq
H. E. Nouri Kamel al-Maliki, Prime Minister of Iraq
H. E. Hoshyar Zebari, Minister of Foreign Affairs
H. E. Dr. Asaad Al-Hashimi, Minister of Culture
Mufid Mohammad Jawad al-Jazairi, Chair of Cultural Committee, Iraqi Parliament [former Minister of Culture]
Maysoon al-Damluji, Member of the Iraqi Parliament [former Deputy Minister of Culture with strong ties to the UK, see Bechler]

Your Excellencies:

We, the undersigned, would like to express our concern for the present and future state of antiquities and cultural heritage in Iraq. As individuals who have done research for years in Iraq, who have taught its great history and culture, and who have made great efforts to call attention to the potential and real damage to Iraq's cultural heritage due to war and its aftermath, we ask you to ensure the safety of the museums, archaeological sites, and standing monuments in the entire country.

Most immediately we ask that the holdings of the Iraq National Museum be kept safeguarded and intact as one collection rather than subdivided. We also ask that the Antiquities Guards, who have been recruited and trained to protect the ancient sites in the countryside, be kept as a force, meaning that they continue to be paid and equipped and their numbers increased. This force is the key to halting the illegal digging of sites and damaging of monuments that has been occurring since April 2003. We furthermore ask that Iraq’s cultural heritage be treated as part of the rich culture of the Iraqi people, to be preserved for present and future generations. Therefore we ask that cultural heritage either be independent or that it be administered by the Ministry of Culture, which in the past has made preservation and interpretation its highest priorities, implemented by a professional, unified State Board of Antiquities and Heritage.

Antiquities and heritage are so important to Iraq that it would be justifiable to make the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage into a new ministry or to connect that Board directly to the cabinet general secretariat, as has been done with the Iraqi Academy of Sciences.

Iraq's cultural heritage is an unparalleled one, and as the tradition from which many other civilizations are derived, it is of great concern to all peoples in the world. It is too important a heritage to be sub-divided and should remain under a national administration. The State Board of Antiquities and Heritage, as part of the Ministry of Culture, has had a record of good administration, and it has been in the past the best Antiquities organization in the Middle East. For years, with its strong Antiquities Law, that made all antiquities and antiquities sites the property of the state, Iraq protected its antiquities sites better than most countries in the world, and it should rise to that level once again.

All persons who work in Antiquities should be above politics and allegiance to any party, and definitely should have no connection to the antiquities trade. Too much of the ancient treasures of Iraq have already been lost through looting and smuggling, and the damage done especially to the great cities of Sumer and Babylonia has been very extensive. Only a strong, national, non-political State Board of Antiquities and Heritage, backed fully by the force of the state, can preserve the heritage that is left.

You are in positions to save the Cultural Heritage of Iraq for everyone, and we hope that you will act to do so.

Sincerely yours,

Prof. McGuire Gibson, President, The American Academic Research Institute in Iraq
Prof. Robert McC. Adams, Secretary Emeritus, Smithsonian Institution
Dr. Lamia Algailani, Hon. Research Fellow, University College London
Prof. Kenneth Ames, President, Society for American Archaeology
Prof. Harriet Crawford, Chair, British School of Archaeology in Iraq
Prof. Leon DeMeyer, Rector Emeritus, University of Ghent, Belgium
Prof. Patty Gerstenblith, President, Lawyers' Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation
Ms. Cindy Ho, President, SAFE/Saving Antiquities for Everyone
Prof. Antonio Invernizzi, Scientific Director, Centro Recirche archeologiche é Scavi di Torino per il Medio Oriente é l’Asia.
Dr. Michael Müller-Karpe, Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum, Mainz, Germany
Dr. Hans J. Nissen, Professor emeritus of Near Eastern Archaeology, The Free University of Berlin, Germany
Dr. Roberto Parapetti, Director of the Iraqi-Italian Centre for the Restoration of Monuments
Prof. Ingolf Thuesen, Director, Carsten Niebuhr Institute, University of Copenhagen
Prof. Jane Waldbaum, President, Archaeological Institute of America

cc Samir Sumaidaie, Ambassador to the United States, Embassy of the Republic of Iraq
cc. Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq
cc Kofi Annan, Secretary General, United Nations
cc Koïchiro Matsuura, Director General, UNESCO
cc Mounir Bouchenaki, Director General, ICCROM
cc Michael Petzet, President, ICOMOS
cc C. David Welch, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Department of State
cc R. Nicholas Burns, Under Secretary, Political Affairs, Department of State
cc. Alberto M. Fernandez, Director, Press and Public Diplomacy, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Dept. of State

As the well-informed-as-usual Martin Bailey reports: "The initiative follows reports in Baghdad that the government is considering the possibility of 'regionalising' the National Museum’s holding. In particular, there is some pressure to send antiquities excavated in the south to Basra or one of the main sites, such as Nasariyah. ... It is noticeable that curators from a number of major museums with Mesopotamian collections are not signatories. In practice, any immediate movement of archaeological finds would be extremely difficult. Staff at the National Museum have found it impossible to even complete an inventory of the contents of the storerooms since the looting of April 2003. The Baghdad museum remains closed and was recently physically sealed with strong concrete barriers." "Traditionally, the Antiquities board came under the Ministry of Culture, but it was recently switched to the Ministry of Tourism (although conventional tourism is at present non-existent, the ministry also covers religious pilgrimages). The new Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities is headed by Liwa Sumaysin, and the letter is pointedly not addressed to him, but his counterpart at the Ministry of Culture, Dr Assad Al-Hashimi." In Alberge we learn: "... the destruction of the Ana Minaret on the Euphrates ... It was blown up by Islamic extremists apparently for fear that it would be used as an American observation post." This is a new explanation; see the September 28 post Destruction of ancient minaret in 'Ana. The Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad interviewed Drs. Dominique Collon (retired [curator], British Museum) and Peter Akkermans (curator, Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden). Do you know what the journalist calls this letter in Dutch? A "brandbrief," literally a "fire letter," meaning a letter (asking for assistance) regarding a matter of the highest urgency (cf. lettre incendiaire in French). Ramdharie: René Teijgeler, advisor to the Iraqi Ministry of Culture for 7 months during 2004-2005, says that the looting of archaeological sites has gotten much worse than when he was over there. It now serves as a major source of income for the many armed groups. He doubts that the letter will resort much effect. The situation has become absurd: half the budget of the National Library goes to security for the staff; Iraqi heritage such as the blown-up mosque in Samarra has become embroiled in the fighting. I've included the examples of coverage from Europe to validate the comment made by Michelle Pilecki: "Of the world's major English-language news outlets, only The Times of London has taken note of a letter from 14 of the world's leading archaeologists to the Iraqi government ..." [my emphasis]. Indeed, no US news outlet that I know of paid any attention. Finally, are we to assume that there has been no answer as of yet to this letter?

References
• D. Alberge, "'Stop the looters destroying history,'" in The Times (UK), October 25, 2006
• M. Bailey, "International archaeologists' plea to Iraqi government," in The Art Newspaper (UK), online, October 25, 2006
• R. Bechler, "The Promise of Iraq. Maysoon al-Damluji returned to her homeland for a week in May 2003, and stayed for two and a half years. She tells Rosemary Bechler about why she stayed, and her work with Iraq’s women’s movement," in openDemocracy (UK), online, November 14, 2005
• M. Pilecki, "An Unsung Casualty of the Iraq War: The World's Cultural Heritage," in Eat The Press, online, October 25, 2006
• S. Ramdharie, "Iraks cultureel erfgoed wordt finaal geplunderd," in de Volkskrant (The Netherlands), October 26, 2006
• "Appeal to Iraqi Government Officials", in Archaeological Institute of America, online, [October 24, 2006]
• "Archeologen: Iraaks erfgoed bedreigd," in NRC Handelsblad (The Netherlands), October 26, 2006

IAA appeal for Dr. Çig

2006-10-31T09:02:00.000-08:00

I quote from the IAA web site:

An Appeal for Dismissal of Charges Against Muazzez Ilmiye Çig

We, the undersigned members of the International Association for Assyriology and other colleagues with interest in the Ancient Near East are deeply alarmed by news reports that Muazzez Ilmiye Çig is to defend herself in court against charges of inciting religious hatred. She is accused of belittling Muslim practices when she disclosed information on the use of headdresses and scarves by Sumerian women millennia ago.

A veteran researcher who, throughout a long career, has contributed to the recovery of the ancient past, Dr. Çig is a model representative of Turkish contribution to scholarship. She has been tireless in propagating the knowledge acquired from ancient documents. The specific issue she raises about the significance of the use of scarves in antiquity cannot have reference to religiously sanctioned practices in our own days. It should be a subject for discussion among historians of past cultures rather than of clerics, lawyers, and judges.

We appeal to Turkish officials with influence on this matter to work for dismissal of all charges against Professor Muazzez Ilmiye Çig.

Jack M. Sasson, President
Wilfred H. van Soldt, Secretary

If you want to sign this appeal, please send an email to Wilfred van Soldt by Monday November 6. Give your name, any relevant title, and the institution to which you belong.

+-+-+-+-+-+

See my October 22 post Muazzez Çığ for more information.

Update
November 2 post Dr. Çig quickly cleared in court.

Dr. George to lecture at BM

2006-10-30T21:20:00.000-08:00

A View of Iraq and Archaeology
Thursday 16 November, 18.30
Stevenson Lecture Theatre, The British Museum, London, UK
Featuring guest speaker, Dr Donny George, formerly President of State Board of Antiquities and Heritage in Iraq and Director of the National Museum, Iraq.

This lecture will take place at the occasion of the exhibition The Past From Above. Through the Lens of Georg Gerster. A journey over the world's greatest archaeological sites which runs from November 16 through February 11.

See over 100 of the world's greatest historic locations in the heart of London. Captured over 40 years, the aerial photography of Swiss photographer Georg Gerster will take visitors on a tour of five continents.

Over 100 sites including the ancient cities of Babylon (in modern-day Iraq), Leptis Magna (in Libya) and Teotihuacan (in Mexico), will be explored in this exhibition. Objects from the Museum's permanent collection will feature alongside Gerster's photographs to provide an added insight into the people behind these extraordinary locations.

As well as focusing on the wonders of these archaeological sites, the exhibition also serves as a reminder of the fragility of many of these important locations and that positive action is required to preserve our common cultural heritage. This is your chance to view the world from a truly different perspective.

Blogger down again

2006-10-30T11:37:00.000-08:00

Sigh... I'm just trying to see if I can still post via e-mail.
Probably not... unless you can read this!

++++++++++++++

Ceterum censeo Mesopotamiam antiquam muniendam esse.

"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral,
begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing
evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but
you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence
you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence
merely increases hate. So it goes. Returning violence for violence
multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid
of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. Hate multiplies
hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness
in a descending spiral of destruction... The chain reaction of evil -
hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars - must be broken, or we
shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation."

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Bookshelf

2006-10-29T22:07:00.000-08:00

I'd like to draw attention to three interesting IW&A-related books (heads up to Dr. Jack Sasson's Agade and Chuck Jones's Iraqcrisis mailing lists):

• E. Robson, L. Treadwell and Ch. Gosden (eds.), Who Owns Objects?: The Ethics and Politics of Collecting Cultural Artefacts, Oxbow Books, 2006, 156 pp.

Who owns cultural objects? and who has the right to own them? The contributors to this book have thought long and hard about the ethics and politics of collecting, from a variety of professional perspectives: archaeologist, museum curator, antiquities dealer, collector, legislator. The book is the outcome of a series of lectures and workshops held in Oxford in October-December 2004. It brings together some stimulating and provocative opinions, that would not usually be found together; archaeology and cultural heritage students rarely come into contact with antiquities dealers or collectors, for instance; museum curators rarely get to know the production processes and rationales behind the legislation and ethical codes they have to abide by. The aim is to provoke thought and debate on this topical and sensitive subject area.

Table of Contents

Introduction and Acknowledgements Smoke and Mirrors (Neil Brodie)
Overview and Assessment after Fifty Years of Collecting in a Changing World (George Ortiz)
Archaeologists, Collectors, and Museums (John Boardman)
Barriers or Bridges? Museums and Acquisitions in the Light of New Legal and Voluntary Codes (Paul Roberts)
Who Owns Objects? A View from the Coin Trade (Ursula Kampmann)
Who Owns Objects? A View from the Antiquities Trade (James Ede)
Cultural Property: a Contribution to the Debate (Nicholas Mayhew)
Recent UK Measures against the International Illicit Trade in Cultural Objects: Examining the New Regulatory Framework (David Gaimster)
Repatriation and its Discontents: the Glasgow Experience (Mark O'Neill)
Index.

• N. Brodie, M.M. Kersel, Ch. Luke and K. Walker Tubb, Archaeology, Cultural Heritage, and the Antiquities Trade, University Press Florida, 2006, 368 pp.

Archaeological artifacts have become a traded commodity in large part because the global reach of Western society allows easy access to the world's archaeological heritage. Acquired by the world's leading museums and private collectors, antiquities have been removed from archaeological sites, monuments, or cultural institutions and illegally traded. This collection of essays by world-recognized experts investigates the ways that com-modifying artifacts fuels the destruction of archaeological heritage and considers what can be done to protect it. Despite growing national and international legislation to protect cultural heritage, increasing numbers of archaeological sites--among them, war-torn Afghanistan and Iraq--are subject to pillage as the monetary value of artifacts rises. Offering comprehensive examinations of archaeological site looting, the antiquities trade, the ruin of cultural heritage resources, and the international efforts to combat their destruction, the authors argue that the antiquities market impacts cultural heritage around the world and is a burgeoning global crisis.

Neil Brodie is research director of the Illicit Antiquities Research Centre at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge. Morag M. Kersel, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Cambridge, is studying the legal trade of antiquities in the Middle East. Christina Luke is a research fellow in the department of archaeology at Boston University. Kathryn Walker Tubb is a lecturer in cultural heritage studies and conservation in the Institute of Archaeology, University College, London.

Table of Contents

Introduction by Neil Brodie
Protecting Cultural Heritage in Conflict by Lyndel Prott
Law, Politics and Archaeology: The U.S. Legal Response to the Protection of the World Cultural Heritage by Marina Papa Sokal
Recent United States Legal Developments in the Protection of the Archaeological Heritage by Patty Gerstenblith
Convicted Dealers: What it tells us by Peter Watson
St. Lawrence Island's Legal Market in Archaeological Goods by Julie Hollowell
A Model Anti-Looting Educational Program by Robert D. Hicks
The Plunder of the Ulua Valley, Honduras and a Market Analysis for its Antiquities by Christina Luke and John Henderson
Looting Lydia: The Destruction of an Archaeological Landscape in Western Turkey by Christopher H. Roosevelt and Christina Luke
From the Ground to the Buyer: How Artifacts Move Through Markets by Morag M. Kersel
The Plunder of Iraq's Archaeological Heritage 1991-2004 and the London Antiquities Trade by Neil Brodie
Afghanistan's Cultural Heritage: An Exceptional Case? by Juliette van Krieken-Pieters
Illicit Trafficking and Antiques Trade in India Recovery, Renewed Efforts to Save and Preserve India's Heritage by S. K. Pachauri
Museum Acquisitions: Responsibilities for the Illicit Traffic in Antiquities by Colin Renfrew
Structural Complexity and Social Conflict in Managing the Past at Copán, Honduras by Lena Mortensen
Supporting and Promoting the Idea of a Shared Cultural Patrimony by Paula Kay Lazrus
Artifacts and Emotion by Kathryn Walker Tubb
Conclusion: Transformed Values by Neil Brodie and Christina Luke

• N.T. Bernhardsson, Reclaiming a Plundered Past. Archaeology and Nation Building in Modern Iraq, University of Texas Press, 2006, 348 pp

The looting of the Iraqi National Museum in April of 2003 provoked a world outcry at the loss of artifacts regarded as part of humanity's shared cultural patrimony. But though the losses were unprecedented in scale, the museum looting was hardly the first time that Iraqi heirlooms had been plundered or put to political uses. From the beginning of archaeology as a modern science in the nineteenth century, Europeans excavated and appropriated Iraqi antiquities as relics of the birth of Western civilization. Since Iraq was created in 1921, the modern state has used archaeology to forge a connection to the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia and/or Islamic empires and so build a sense of nationhood among Iraqis of differing religious traditions and ethnicities.

This book delves into the ways that archaeology and politics intertwined in Iraq during the British Mandate and the first years of nationhood before World War II. Magnus Bernhardsson begins with the work of British archaeologists who conducted extensive excavations in Iraq and sent their finds to the museums of Europe. He then traces how Iraqis' growing sense of nationhood led them to confront the British over antiquities law and the division of archaeological finds between Iraq and foreign excavators. He shows how Iraq's control over its archaeological patrimony was directly tied to the balance of political power and how it increased as power shifted to the Iraqi government. Finally he examines how Iraqi leaders, including Saddam Hussein, have used archaeology and history to legitimize the state and its political actions

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction
Early Excavations in Mesopotamia
World War I and the British Occupation (1900-1921)
From Mesopotamia to Iraq: Politics during the Mandate (1921-1932)
Mandated Archaeology: The Creation of the Museum and the Vibrant Archaeological Scene (1921-1932)
Independent Nation--Independent Archaeology (1932-1941)
Conclusion
Notes
Works Consulted
Index

Blogger has been unreliable...

2006-10-29T20:21:00.000-08:00

Blogger, the blogging service I use for IW&A Blog, has been unavailable for the last several days. It looks like it may now be working again. Let's see if I can get this post published. Mind you, this is not the first time this week... I sure hope they'll have it fixed for good now.

Preview: Archaeology in Conflict Conference, London

2006-10-26T10:35:00.000-07:00

The University College London's Centre for Applied Archaeology is organizing a very interesting scholarly event entitled Archaeology in Conflict Conference - Cultural Heritage, Site Management and Sustainable Development in Conflict and Post-Conflict States in the Middle East. It will take place from November 10-12, 2006. Let me quote the web site:

The conference ‘Archaeology in Conflict’aims to increase understanding of the underlying ethics in archaeological site management in conflict and post-conflict states. Specific attention will be given to the relationship between conservation management models, sustainable development, conflict resolution, post-war recovery, and the economic needs of contemporary society. These issues will be addressed by exploring the impact of conservation and archaeology on local communities in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine and Lebanon. The conference will provide archaeologists with the opportunity to develop a framework contextualising heritage management, social theory, sustainable development and poverty relief within the discipline of archaeology. It aims to define key aspects in archaeological theory, heritage management, funding schemes and policy approaches. Other topics include the impact of conservation work, poverty relief and capacity building within the practice and theory of archaeology throughout these geographical regions.

One of the sessions will be about Archaeology and Conflict in Iraq: present problems and future prospects, organized by Michael Seymour and Dr. Roger Matthews:

The past three years have been extremely difficult for Iraq's cultural institutions, and for those outside Iraq aiming to provide useful assistance. This session aims to address the problems still being faced, and to share information on the efforts being made by organisations and individuals within Iraq and internationally to protect the country's cultural heritage. By examining several case studies we aim to conclude with practical guidelines regarding the management of heritage development projects that occur during development projects in Iraq. Some issues to be addressed include:

• What do we now know about site looting and the trade in illicit Iraqi antiquities?
• How far have initiatives to help support Iraq’s museums, libraries and universities been able to perform their intended work?
• What are the most pressing needs facing Iraqi heritage today, and how can these be addressed?

I don't have the financial resources to attend so I would love to hear reports (to be shared on this blog if allowed) about the following lectures:

• Donny George
Former Director-General of the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage, Republic of Iraq
Looters …Governments … Who is Responsible?

This is a study in depth for the real reasons that led to the mass looting of the Museums and Archaeological sites, this study is mostly from personal experience for thirty years of working in the field and office in the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage in Iraq, not blaming the foreign forces that occupied Iraq after April 2003, not blaming the dealers outside the country, in Europe or the United States, and not blaming the neighbor countries, the roles of all these are already known, but going deep in to the economical, educational, and the political systems of Iraq, as an example of building up the reasons that led to that large scale of looting of the Museums and Archaeological sites.

• Elizabeth Stone
Professor Near Eastern Archaeology, State University New York Stony Brook, USA
Patterns of Looting of Archaeological sites in Southern Iraq

... Immediately after the 2003 war, it was reported that the earlier looting was continuing unabated, and photographic evidence of the damage began to emerge. However, in spite of photographs illustrating the looting, some taken from the air and some from the ground, the unstable situation in Iraq prevented any systematic appraisal of the extent and nature of the problem either by reporters or by the Iraqi Department of Antiquities. One result of the 2003 war, however, was the extensive imaging of southern Iraq at high resolution by the Digital Globe Corporation. These Quickbird images have a resolution of 0.6 m., making every looting hole readily visible. Of the 1829 archaeological sites recorded in the Uruk, Eridu and Nippur surveys conducted by Adams, Wright and Nissen, only a handful lie beyond this coverage. The coverage provided by these images do, however, have some limitations. The Digital Globe Corporation focused its efforts on southern Iraq before the onset of the 2003 war, which means that much of our data records the depredations that occurred during the period of the embargo. However, where later imagery is available, we have been able to compare images from this early period to those taken later. This paper will present a preliminary assessment of the damage caused by looting visible at the sites recorded in these surveys. Information on the presence of looting and an estimate of what percent of the site was damaged was recorded for each site, as was site size and when it reached its apogee. These data allow an evaluation of the relative degree to which period of occupation, site size and proximity to towns (with antiquities markets), roads and villages contributed to a site’s vulnerability. Those examples of damaged sites recorded in multiple images taken at different dates makes it possible to assess the chronology of the looting process.

• Gaetano Palumbo
Director of Archaeological Conservation Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia, World Monuments Fund
& Neville Agnew
Principal Project Specialist, Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles
Building professional capacity for cultural heritage conservation and management: the GCI-WMF Iraq Cultural Heritage Initiative

... The Getty Conservation Institute and the World Monuments Fund partnered in late 2003 to form the Iraq Cultural Heritage Conservation Initiative, and assist the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage of Iraq to redevelop its professional and managerial skills. ... This resulted in the development of a series of training courses aimed at various categories of SBAH’s professional staff, from regional inspectors to archaeologists and surveyors. The training programs covered topics, from the use of surveying equipment, computers, and digital photography (with equipment purchased by the Initiative and organizations such as UNESCO), to matters related to the documentation, assessment of condition, and management of cultural heritage. Together with the courses, a parallel project is developing a GIS database to inventory the archaeological and historic sites and monuments of Iraq - a conservation tool that will enable SBAH personnel to assess damage to sites and plan conservation interventions to reduce the risk of further deterioration. The database is presently in the testing phase, while pilot projects for the collection of data in the field have been conducted by training SBAH personnel. ... The paper illustrates the activities conducted under the Initiative and advocates the organization of similar projects not only in conflict or post-conflict areas, but also, and perhaps especially, in “pre-conflict” areas, where the availability of inventories and personnel trained in preventive conservation may greatly reduce the damage that war and civil strife normally inflicts on cultural heritage properties.

• Harriet Crawford
Chairman British School of Archaeology in Iraq, Hon. Visiting Professor UCL, Research Fellow, McDonald Institute Cambridge
The British School of Archaeology in Iraq: the work of one NGO

The BSAI is the only academic body in the UK devoted to the study of the archaeology, history and culture of Iraq. Its activities relating to the recent conflict fall into two parts. The first, in the run-up to the war, concentrated on lobbying government and the military as well as disseminating information through the media on the threat to the heritage of Iraq.
The second fell into the period after hostilities ceased and at first were concentrated in helping to assess the scale and nature of the damage. Then came the efforts to help Iraqi colleagues trying to repair it by supplying vital equipment, books, and short training courses as appropriate. In order to implement such a programme close cooperation with the authorities both in the UK and in Iraq was essential. A considerable sum of money also had to raised by appeal to members of the School and to the public. The heritage of Iraq is not an irrelevance or a luxury, it is an important tool in re-creating a feeling of national unity and identity and, potentially, a vital economic resource.

• Jeff Morgan
Executive Director, Global Heritage Fund, US

[topic not announced]

• Josie Thompson
Head of Iraq Programme, Global Heritage Fund, USA

[topic not announced]

• Lamia al-Ghailani-Werr
Honorary Research Fellow, Institute of Archaeology, UCL, UK

[topic not announced]

• McGuire Gibson
Professor of Mesopotamian Archaeology, Oriental Institute, University of Chicago.
Culture as Afterthought: U.S. Planning and Non-Planning in the Invasion of Iraq.

The devastation of cultural heritage in the 2003 war, epitomized by the looting of the Iraq National Museum, was almost universal. Institutes of art, music, dance, theater, folklore, crafts, etc. were looted as thoroughly as the museums in Baghdad, Mosul, and Babylon. The minor effort at planning for heritage protection, carried out as part of the Future of Iraq Project in the U. S. State Department, had little or no effect since all the efforts of the Project were ignored by the Pentagon. It is gradually being recognized that there was almost no planning of any kind beyond the invasion itself. One approach to the Pentagon resulted in Ýhe [sic] adding of thousands of archaeological sites and museums to the no-strike list, on which were already numerous mosques and standing monuments in cities, but the emphasis on protecting these places from indigenous looters was not part of the plans. Inadequate force levels dictated priorities for securing certain installations, such as oil-related industry, but even banks and ministries were allowed to be looted. Had scholars been able to get across the long-term central role of antiquities for Iraq's economic future, perhaps some protection might have been given. Culture was held in such disregard by American planners that it was sub-contracted to the Italians, who did in fact make real efforts to halt looting in the Dhi Qar province. Meanwhile, the rest of the provinces in southern Iraq were being, and are being, looted on an industrial scale. Only the information that some parts of the resistance are being funded through sales of antiquities is making the occupying forces think about halting the looting or at least the chain of smuggling out of the country.

• Rene Teijgeler
Research and Management Cultural Heritage, The Netherlands
Embedded archaeology: does it work?

The question I want to discuss is whether or not it is possible to protect cultural heritage in times of an armed conflict from the inside. As a reserve officer of the Dutch army and a heritage expert I was send to the US embassy as the senior advisor for the Iraqi Ministry of Culture to help protect Iraq’s heritage. The comparison with “embedded journalism” urged itself upon me. Of course there are many differences but nevertheless the questions raised about the ‘embeds’ I could ask myself too. Was the level of oversight too strict and was I too sympathetic to the American side of the war, in other words was I one of the professionals who became "inbedded" in stead of “embedded”? For several reasons I had complete freedom of action.Yet the severe security situation that only grew worse as time passed made it very difficult to move around. It was not without reason that almost all NGO’s and IO’s had left Iraq. Instead of post-war reconstruction I was faced with the difficult task of peri-war (re-)construction. The killing American bureaucracy as well as the slow cogwheels of the military authorities hampered me seriously in getting things done. Taking stock today I dare say that I was able to save a little of Iraq’s rich heritage and I would probably do it again though I could not do as much as I would have liked to.

United Nations Day

2006-10-24T21:20:00.000-07:00

Today is the anniversary of the entry into force of the United Nations Charter on 24 October 1945 which has been celebrated as United Nations Day since 1948. The UN is an imperfect but more-needed-than-ever organization. Long live international co-operation! The UN's cultural subsidiary UNESCO esp. is one of the few institutions around the world today that is almost universally appreciated. Let us all remember that, in the runup to the Iraq War, the UN and its weapons inspectors insisted on exhausting nonviolent ways of resolving the issues surrounding the Ba'ath regime in Iraq, only to be cast aside by the US and its Coalition of the Willing. The UN nevertheless followed the developments in Iraq closely and provided assistance as much as possible. However, ever since the devastating bomb attack on its Baghdad headquarters in August 2003 whereby 22 staff members including its seasoned and respected mission head Sergio Vieira de Mello were killed, UNAMI's (UN Assistance Mission for Iraq) presence on the ground has understandably been minimal. From the beginning, UNESCO has been involved in the efforts to salvage and protect the cultural heritage of Iraq, usually in co-operation with other specialized organizations, and mostly from outside the country.

Chumbawamba

2006-10-23T23:02:00.000-07:00

You may know the British alternative rock band Chumbawamba from their mainstream hit record Tubthumping (1997). But did you know they also recorded a comment on the illegal art market in general with a mention of the sorry state of the archaeological heritage in Iraq in particular?

On eBay from the album Un (2004)

Mr Kokoschka, it just happened again
Sad, so sad
They struck the museum like a hurricane
Sad, so sad
All of our culture, it's dead and its gone
Sad, so sad
From Babylon, baby, back to Babylon
Sad, so sad
There's stuff you find along the way and stuff you leave behind
And it all ends up as stuff that you can buy
On eBay, from Babylon back to Babylon
On eBay, from Babylon back to Babylon

Listen to a sample of the song in Windows Media or RealOne Player format (you can buy the album at Amazon.com).

Garen & Carleton

2006-10-23T21:51:00.000-07:00

An article in the New York Daily News updates us on Micah Garen and Marie-Hélène Carleton. Micah, former hostage in Iraq in 2004, and his fiancée Marie-Hélène—when's the wedding, guys?—have been busy with promoting and talking about their book American Hostage and the plight of the archaeological heritage of Iraq. As a consequence, finishing the documentary on the looting of sites in southern Iraq (during the shooting of which Micah was taken hostage in the first place!) is taking longer than originally planned. "The last two years also have been a bittersweet time for the couple, with the violence in Iraq showing no signs of abating. 'We have no plans to go back,' Garen said. 'The country is far too dangerous for us to go back and do the kind of work we were doing. Maybe at some point in the very distant future.' By spring, the couple hopes to complete their feature-length film for theatrical release. 'It's been put off for a year because of all the work around the book and the book tour,' Garen said. 'We have about 300 hours of footage that we're working through,' Carleton said. When completed, the couple's film may become the only record of some the region's priceless historical artifacts."

By the way, a month ago, the Adnkronos International agency released an article that seems to confirm Micah's version of events of what happened 11 days before he got kidnapped. At the time, he made public that Italian soldiers in Nasiriyyah had without justification shot at an ambulance, killing people in it (see Yahoo! News). This was vehemently denied by the Italian commander at the time.

References
• "Italian military deny having turned back US reporter kidnapped in Iraq," in Yahoo! News, online, August 16, 2004
• "Italy: 3 Soldiers Charged With Iraq Ambulance Shooting," in Adnkronos International (Italy), online, September 14, 2006
• P.H.B. Shin, "Heady days for Iraq captive," in Daily News (New York), October 22, 2006

Muazzez Çığ

2006-10-22T00:44:00.000-07:00

I'd like to draw attention to what's going on with a Turkish colleague, Sumerologist Dr. Muazzez İ. Çığ. She is a scholar of Sumerian cuneiform texts, now in her 90s. She has long retired from her position at the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. Turkish Islamist fundamentalists have taken her and her publisher İsmet Öğütücü to court for what she wrote in a book. She is charged with “inciting hatred and hostility” and “insulting religion." The book in question, Vatandaslik Tepkilerim, is a collection of letters she sent to artists and politicians (e.g., Prime Minister Erdoğan en Foregn Minister Abdullah Gül). News.com.au: "... Cig said the headscarf - a controversial issue in Turkey - was first worn by Sumerian priestesses initiating young people into sex, but without prostituting themselves." This ritual-prostitution link was already broached upon in two of her previous books published in 1995 and 1997. Nobody took offense at the time... Çığ and Öğütücü face a prison sentence between 9 months and 3 years. The court case is scheduled for November 1. It seems to me that this is yet another example of how the Iraq War has further disturbed the fragile but gradually evolving and adjusting balance between tradition and modernity in the Middle East. The fast pace of societal change is disconcerting enough to a lot of people in the West (North America, Japan and Europe), in the Middle East it is however magnified by war, increasing anarchy and mayhem. Just like fundamentalism and conservative radicalism have been on the rise in the West, so they are in the Middle East. Science and scientists are a convenient focal point in this confrontation, as is made clear by, for instance, the attacks on the theory of evolution in the US, and now this case in Turkey. The article in the International Herald Tribune from earlier this year illustrates what a great educator Dr. Çığ is. She does not deserve this kind of treatment by cultural barbarians.

One more thing: when recently the Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk received the Nobel Prize for Literature, Dr. Çığ, who has been a staunch, lifelong defender of Kemal Atatürk's legacy, wrote a letter to the Nobel Prize committee expressing her displeasure. Like the great majority of Turks, she resents his writing about the events surrounding the deaths of 100,000s of Armenians in 1915, events that are characterized by many (esp. outside Turkey) as a genocide. Cig: "May be we cannot judge the literary aspect of Orhan Pamuk as well as you do, because a large group of people do not like his books. However, his being highly appreciated, because [sic; "even though"] he wrongly blamed his own country, is the matter that makes us feel sorry. As [Pamuk] said, if there were no freedom of thought, his last novel 'Kar' could have been forbidden, because it was not telling the truths." [Pamuk of course did not say that his book was not telling the truth, this is an accident of translation from the Turkish, I am sure] I believe that nationalism in all its forms has brought and still brings forth almost inevitably many excesses. As a Belgian, I have experienced firsthand the exaggerated antagonism between Dutch-speaking Flemings and French-speaking Walloons, craftily exploited by politicians for their own short-sighted gain time and again. Also, as a student of my native country's history, I know what it is like to be at the receiving end of nationalisms: the Low Countries have been at one time or another a possession of the Romans, French, Austrians, Spanish, Germans, Franks, etc. Again and again the big brothers fought their battles on our soil: Waterloo, Bastogne, Ypres, etc. So Dr. Çığ's position on Pamuk is highly ironic in my opinion. Nevertheless it does not invalidate her cause. After all, she is not taking him to court or threatening him. She is entitled to her opinion just like he is. I just happen to think that historical fact is on his side. Anyway, this court case is obviously also another salvo in the ongoing battle in Turkey between Islamist fundamentalism and Atatürk secularism of which she is a well-known champion.

References
• Çığ, Muazzez İlmiye," in Republic of Turkey. Ministry of Culture and Tourism, online, 2005
• S. Arsu, "After 4,000 years, love keeps poem alive," in The International Herald Tribune (France), February 14, 2006
• "Case Against Sumerologist Çığ and Publisher Öğütücü...," in Eyes of the World/Turkey (Turkey), online, n.d. [2006]
• M. Cig , "Nobel Üdülü Jürýsý' ne/To Esteemed Members of Nobel Prize Jury," in Muazzez İlmiye Çığ. Sümerolog - Sumerologist (Turkey), online, October 10 and 12, 2006
• "Academic faces trial over headscarf article," in News.com.au (Australia), online, October 19, 2006
• A. Erkul, "Nieuwe hoofddoekrel zet Turkije in vuur en vlam," in De Morgen (Belgium), October 19, 2006

Selected bibliography of Dr. Çığ
• S.N. Kramer, H. Kızılyay and --, "Selected Sumerian Literary Texts. Final Report of a Fullbright Research Year in Istanbul Museum of Ancient Orient," in Orientalia, 22, 2 (1953)
• -- and H. Kızılyay, Yeni Sumer Cagina Ait Nippur Hukuki ve Idari Belgeleri/Neusumerische Rechts- und Verwaltungsurkunden aus Nippur - I (Turk Tarih Kurumu Yayinlari, 6, 7), Ankara 1965
• -- and S.N. Kramer, "The Ideal Mother: A Sumerian Portrait," in Belleten, 40 (1976), pp. 413-421
• --, H. Kızılyay and S.N. Kramer, İstanbul Sümer Edebî Tablet ve Parçaları 2, Istanbul, 1976
• "Atatürk and the Beginnings of Cuneiform Studies in Turkey," in Journal of Cuneiform Studies, 40, 2 (Autumn 1988), pp. 211-216
• Kur'an, İncil ve Tevrat'ın Sümer'deki Kökeni [The Origins of the Koran, the Bible and the Torah in Babylon], Istanbul, 1995
• Sümerli Ludingirra. Geçmise Dönük Bilimkurgu [Sumerian Lindingirra. A Retrospective Science Fiction], Istanbul, 1996
• İbrahim Peygamber [The Prophet Abraham], Istanbul, 1997
• İnanma'nın Aşkı. Sumer'de İnanç ve Kutsal Evlenme [The Love of İnanna], Istanbul, 1998
• Dunyanin En Eski Yazilari Istanbul'da : Sumer Tabletleri/The World's Oldest Written Documents in Istanbul: Sumerian Tablets," Eylul, 1998
• Hititler ve Hattuşa. İştar'in Kaleminden [The Hittites and Hattusha. Written by Ishtar], Istanbul, 2000
• Ortadoğu Uygarlık Mirası [Civilization Heritage in the Middle-East], Istanbul, 2002
• Vatandaslik Tepkilerim [My Reactions to Citizenship], 2005

Update
See also the October 31 post IAA appeal for Dr. Çig and the November 5 post Dr. Çig update.

Hugh Eakin article in Men's Vogue

2006-10-20T01:16:00.000-07:00

In a press release by Men's Vogue magazine, a lead article by Hugh Eakin is described that looks like it deals with the looting of archaeological sites in Iraq. However, the magazine website does not yet list any info on the November/December issue. Has anyone seen a copy yet? If so, could you be so kind to pass on to me how relevant it really is to IW&A? I'll post your summary/review here if the article is interesting enough. Here are some quotes from the press release:

In the November/December issue of Men's Vogue, Hugh Eakin travels into a world of organized crime -- the underground antiquities business -- that has now taken on a violent new form in conflict-torn Iraq. Eakin visits Cerveteri, a site northwest of Rome, to watch Italian investigators from the Tutela Patrimonio Culturale, or TPC, at work. It is here that the TPC-the arm of the carabinieri charged with protecting Italy's cultural heritage-demonstrates an impressive reconnaissance mission to inspect a remote area that has been assaulted by tomb raiders, and displays a robust military operation that is now being tested against art theft, and possibly terrorist networks, in Iraq. ... [Eakin] writes, "some of the TPC's tactics are beginning to be applied in volatile regions like Iraq, where security experts suggest that looting maybe intertwined with terror networks." ... The recent news of Donny George, president of Iraq's State Board of Antiquities and Heritage, resigning and fleeing the country only adds suspicion to a powerful black market. Eakin notes that George had been trying to station TPC-trained guards at Iraq's most important archaeological sites. But the TPC's commander, General Ugo Zottin, insists that any links between antiquities thieves and terrorist organizations "have to be tested in court." And for all of the TPC's high-profile recoveries throughout Italy with night raids, military helicopters, and hard-nosed detectives, former TPC chief Roberto Conforti insists that when it comes to cracking down on art theft in a war zone, "Iraq is another story."

Reference
• "Italy's Art Cops Target Iraq, Where Looting May Be Funding Terrorism - Men's Vogue Travels With the Carabinieri's Special Unit," in Yahoo! Finance, online, October 18, 2006

Latest news from Hatra

2006-10-19T07:28:00.000-07:00

"Remains of the giant columns, temples and fortifications of the 2,600-year-old city of Hatra tower over the Iraqi desert. This was a major city along the Silk Road. Hatra sent caravans of traders throughout the Middle East with spices, woodwork and gems. It was a tolerant center of diverse religions that twice repulsed Roman invaders. Now the 1st Battalion of the 37th Field Artillery Regiment from Fort Lewis does daily combat patrols in the area, and religious tolerance is hard to come by. Just a month ago, a suicide car bomber killed several people in the neighboring settlement of al-Hatra. But the U.S. soldiers draw inspiration from the beautiful ruins, hoping someday they can be a world-renowned center of tourism." "The Mosul area, where most Fort Lewis soldiers in Iraq are stationed, was the capital of the powerful Assyrian empire 700 years before the birth of Christ. Jonah, the biblical figure fabled for being swallowed by a whale, is said to be entombed in a mosque in a dangerous part of Mosul. There’s an abandoned Christian monastery dating from sometime before 595 A.D. on Forward Operating Base Marez, where Fort Lewis soldiers in Mosul live. The chaplain gives tours." [For this Dair Mar Elia (St. Elijah Monastery), see Walsh] "A U.N. archeological team investigated the site and found looters damaged two features after the U.S. invasion in 2003. The archeologists also complained the U.S. was threatening the stability of the buildings through the destruction of stockpiles from a nearby Iraqi ammo dump. ... The blasts were reduced, and the U.S. and Iraqi forces now have secured relative calm in this area, although insurgents operate not far away." "The Stryker brigade troops said they want to add Hatra protection to the list, although a bid for a security fence came in too high at $700,000. The unit is working on other ways to secure the site."

References
• S. Cockerham, "Along the Silk Road, troops find hope," in The [Tacoma] News Tribune (Washington), October 18, 2006
• S. Walsh, "War exposes history," in [Gary] Post-Tribune (Indiana), February 6, 2005, with a sidebar by F. Deblauwe

Quantifying the interest in IW&A issues again

2006-10-18T18:56:00.000-07:00

In regards to my previous post, Dr. Dorothy King was so kind to let me know that the blog search web site Technorati also provides graphs showing the popularity of certain terms in blogs through time, and at the same time does a better job of filtering out spam-blog posts. I was aware of the site but not of the chart capability. Naturally, I felt compelled to give it a try too. Please humor me ;-)

The result again shows the attention the combination of the terms "Iraq" on the one hand and "archa(e)ological," "archa(e)ologist," "archa(e)ology" or "antiquities" on the other hand has received in the so-called blogosphere but this time for the last year, a longer period of time. What is more, Technorati provides a way to limit the posts searched to "blogs with any," "a little," "some" or "a lot of authority." I include the 4 different graphs.

The maximum hits in blogs with the most authority (i.e., most linked to) occurred mid-April 2006 (see 3rd and 4th graphs). This was when the damage to the site of Babylon became known publicly and did indeed cause quite a stir in the mainstream media. It would appear that the 1st graph especially ("blogs with any authority," i.e., all blogs) yields quite "noisy" results that are pretty much useless.

I checked the resulting posts for relevancy. Contrary to BlogPulse, I don't seem to be able to get a list of posts per date. So I looked at both sites' overall list which is organized in chronological sense (most recent first) and inspected the first 20 posts to allow for easy comparison:

• relevant posts: BlogPulse 7 vs. Technorati 11
• irrelevant posts: BlogPulse 13 vs. Technorati 8
• spam-blog posts: BlogPulse 0 vs. Technorati 1

This limited sample does seem to show Technorati as the slightly better choice at least for current blog posts. Funny how this time around, contrary to the test in the previous post, BlogPulse has no spam-blog posts at all! Maybe they've improved their filters? This overall search results list is taken from "blogs with any authority," right?

Quantifying the interest in IW&A issues

2006-10-17T02:27:00.000-07:00

I often wonder to what extent IW&A issues register beyond the small circle of ancient-studies scholars and cultural-heritage professionals. Also, how could you quantify this, esp. through time? It's not easy. I've experimented time and again. I include an attempt here, using the online Trend tool of the BlogPulse (Nielsen BuzzMetrics) web site which tracks what blogs talk about.

The graph shows basically the attention the combination of the terms "Iraq" on the one hand and "archa(e)ological," "archa(e)ologist," "archa(e)ology" or "antiquities" on the other hand has received in the so-called blogosphere from March 20, 2006, till today. The maximum number of blog posts per day (32) was reached on June 2. However, upon close inspection of these results I found that they could be grouped as follows:

• relevant posts: 1
• irrelevant posts: 5
• spam-blog posts: 26

In other words, BlogPulse does a lousy job of filtering out spam blogs, i.e., blogs with no real content, just meaningless, random series of phrases and words, which are used only for promoting affiliated websites. "The purpose is to increase the PageRank of the affiliated sites, get ad impressions from visitors, and/or use the blog as a link outlet to get new sites indexed." So we can forget about this approach... even if some of the peaks in the graph actually do correspond to real increased attention due to certain events, e.g., Dr. Donny George's exile from Iraq (August 26).

I don't know right now of another public source to provide news data that can be easily tabulated concerning volume and date. Any suggestions? My IW&A web site could maybe substitute for the larger media environment. One could venture that traffic to IW&A waxed and waned in parallel with the general media interest in the subject matter.

This graph is based on daily numbers, first from the umkc.edu and then the univie.ac.at server. The archaeos.org mirror traffic data are left out. (Google was searched using this string: "iraq war and archaeology" OR "iraq war & archaeology" OR "fdeblauwe/iraq" OR "iwa.univie.ac.at" OR "www.archaeos.org/iwa.") The moving-7-day averages are used to smooth out the trends and also to take care of the occasional missing data points, esp. in the case of the Google hits. A few events jump out that aren't relevant to our goal here: on April 15, 2005, the web site was pulled down by the University of Missouri only to restart on a University of Vienna server on April 26. This is expressed in a total loss of traffic followed by a higher-than-before level of interest in the site. For obvious reasons, there was an all-time peak of interest in the plight of IW&A issues in April 2003. I had to leave this off the graph in order to be able to show the evolution of the more pedestrian trends later. Some of those numbers:

• 04/18/03 2538
• 04/19/03 2580
• 04/20/03 2541
• 04/21/03 2410
• 04/22/03 2083

Some of the more abrupt changes in the Google hits trend may be due to changes in their search algorithm.

One more way to look at this: the size of the IW&A bimonthly archives of reviewed articles. One can easily spot the intense media attention in early 2003. Nice but I can't say this really helps much either. Oh well...

We'll always have Akkadian in Geneva & Indiana

2006-10-13T22:48:00.000-07:00

After this summer the US Supreme Court had declared the treatment of so-called enemy combattants unconstitutional, the US Congress proceeded to grant the US President far-reaching authority to do as he pleases without any need for authorization from Congress or the courts. Evan Eisenberg wrote a satirical explanation of the new law: "Ear-Splitting Music--No prisoner shall be subjected, for a period exceeding twenty-four (24) hours, to music at a volume exceeding that of the explosion of a two-ton cruise missile heard from a distance of fifteen (15) yards. (i) For the purposes of paragraph (D), 'music' shall be defined as recordings by (a) the Oak Ridge Boys, (b) the Knack, (c) John Fogerty, (d) Joni Mitchell, (e) George Jones, (f) John Hiatt, and (g) such other artists as the President may, from time to time, choose to download." Personally, I take exception to the inclusion of Joni Mitchell in this list: let it be known that I am a great fan of her musical genius! "Evidence Withheld From The Accused -- The accused shall have the right to see all evidence presented against him or her, except for evidence classified as secret for reasons of national security, in which case the accused shall have the right to see a faithful translation of the evidence into (i) Akkadian, (ii) Sumerian, or (iii) Ugaritic." Hmmm, now which version would you, my dear reader, prefer? What's more important is that this would open up plenty of employment opportunities for starving Assyriologists! ;-)

And now from the satirical present to the satirical future with a story (Halton) that reminds me a bit of the famous "Motel of the Mysteries" by David Macaulay: "The archaeological find of the century was discovered today in Winona Lake, Indiana. Apparently in the early third millenium or late second millenium AD there was a thriving Akkadian culture in Indiana. A cache of pottery sherds, all with the opening two lines of Enuma Elish were uncovered. Archaeologists from Indiana University assert that this is finally the definitive proof that an enclave of people devoted to ancient Near East studies lived in Winona Lake, ... Since a team of archaeologists from Uganda discovered the find, the pottery sherds will be housed in the National Museum of Uganda over the objections of the United States State Department. The U.S. President said that she was amazed by this brazen 'state-sponsored act of looting' undertaken by the Ugandan government. ... Furthermore, the Ugandan government turned down a reported $1.7 billion dollar offer from the J.P. Getty Museum for the sherds as they are trying to rebuild their holdings after a collection of iPods were shown to be forgeries." See Spinti for the more prozaic facts behind the parody (also the source of the photo).

References
• E. Eisenberg, "We'll Always Have Geneva," in The Nation, online, October 2, 2006
• Ch. Halton, "Akkadian Culture in Indiana," in Awilum.com (Ohio), online, June 26, 2006
• D. Macaulay, "Motel of the Mysteries," 1979
• J[ames ]P[. ]S[pinti], "Sherds?," in Idle musings of a bookseller (Indiana), online, June 26, 2006

Ossendrijver Iraq photos, 1

2006-10-12T23:58:00.000-07:00

This is the 1st installment in a series of photographs I will publish here (on an irregular time schedule). They were taken by Dr. Mathieu Ossendrijver (Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Germany) when he participated in a trip to Iraq organized by the Orientalisches Seminar of the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg (Germany) in October 2000. They form interesting documentary evidence of the condition of several archaeological sites only a couple of years before the Iraq War. Mathieu has been so kind to allow me to publish them here. If you'd like to use his photos, please contact him. I start with pictures taken at el-Meda'in/Salman Pak better known under its ancient name Ctesiphon. This site which now lies almost in the suburbs of Baghdad was at one time a capital of the Partian and Sassanid empires. As a hub of empire it succeeded the neighboring Seleucia-on-the-Tigris (Seleucid empire) and was itself later succeeded by nearby Baghdad (Abassid empire). Its most famous still standing structure is the 4th-cent.-AD Taq-i Kisra with its great arch (80 ft wide by 160 ft long; see Keall for more info). The arch is still the original one but for example the north wing of this throne hall has been reconstructed (collapsed in a late-19th-cent.-AD earthquake):

See also University of Chicago Oriental Institute. Archaeological Site Photography. I am not really sure what is in this final photo, maybe someone can help me out? Are these remains of fortifications?

References
• E.J. Keall, "Ayvan (or Taq)-e Khosrow," in The Circle of Ancient Iranian Studies (UK), online, n.d.
• "Ctesiphon," in University of Chicago Oriental Institute. Archaeological Site Photography, online, November 15, 2001
• "Iraq Heritage Program. Ctesiphon," in Global Heritage Fund, online, n.d.

Cori Wegener

2006-10-11T01:08:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to draw attention to one of the less-sung heroines of the effort to save Iraq's heritage: Minneapolis Institute of the Arts curator Cori Wegener, who was in Baghdad as a major in the US Army Reserve in the early days of the Iraq War. I had the privelege of meeting her at last year's Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale in Chicago. I was reminded of her while going through my hiatus backlog and noticing that she gave a lecture (Artdaily.com). Needless to say, she has an interesting story to tell. Minter: "'In regard to the museum, I’m not optimistic. But I am hopeful.' She cites the collection and the staff as her primary reasons for hope. 'But it’s all about stability and their ability to reopen the museum to the public.'" I'd love to hear her thoughts on what has happened since that interview in 2004... Minter: "Even more ambitiously, she wants to establish an international organization of combat conservators." I wonder what became of that great idea?

References
• A. Minter, "The Art of War. A Minnesota reservist is the U.S. military’s only professional curator. Meet the Minneapolis Institute of Arts’ Corine Wegener, Iraq war hero," in The Rake. Secrets of the City (Minnesota), August 2004
• L. Mack, "Iraqi artifacts were her call to duty," in Star Tribune (Minnesota), August 22, 2004
• "Shelburne Museum Offers Lecture on Looting," in Artdaily.com, online, [July 16, 2006]
• "Weekly Highlight. Thursday 03. Museum Pieces," in Seven Days. Vermont's Alternative Webweekly (Vermont), online, [August 2, 2006]

(photo courtesy of Corine Wegener)

Fort sounds Drum for cultural-heritage awareness

2006-10-09T23:42:00.000-07:00

AP just published another article (Kates) on Dr. Laurie Rush, the archaeologist at Fort Drum in New York State's North Country. I reviewed an earlier article before (Mattingly). Kates: "So with $165,000 in funding from the Department of Defense Legacy Program, Rush and the post's Integrated Training Area Management unit has begun to heighten the cultural sensitivity of the soldiers and pilots who train at Fort Drum, including building mock cemeteries and archaeological ruins and developing a field guide. ... Fort Drum, located near the U.S.-Canadian border, has a rich archaeological history with dozens of American Indian sites spread throughout the sprawling 105,000-acre post. ... 'Here we are barring them from the sites at Fort Drum, and then asking them to occupy a[n Iraqi] World Heritage site [i.e., Babylon] in a responsible way having failed to teach them how to act in a responsible way,' she said. So Rush's small staff took steps to preserve Sterlingville, one of six North Country communities erased by the federal government in 1941 so it could expand Fort Drum." (for more on Sterlingville, see Snyder)

Kates: "Across the road, ... sit the fake ruins and cemetery that Rush and her staff built using concrete, plywood and paint. The cylindrical ruins are modeled after ruins in Uruk that are believed to be 4,000 to 5,000 years old. Rush's crew plans to soon add a mosque. ... a second fake Muslim cemetery and another set of ruins are set up just outside a small fabricated village. The cemetery sits on a bend in the road in a spot that affords good fighting position, Rush said. Like they are in the Middle East, the markers are plain, unadorned and face toward Mecca. Arabic blessings are imprinted into the concrete in the walls of the ruins. 'This helps trains soldiers to immediately identify cultural features so troops don't waste valuable time during combat operations,' she said. She recounts one incident where a commanding officer had his troops put up a communications tower on the top of a pile of rubble, not realizing it was a tell Â– an artificial mound covering the successive remains of ancient communities. The unit started erecting a security fence when they began digging up artifacts. They had to stop, take down the fence and move the tower." [oops!] I found a bit more information in an earlier article (Cutshaw) published in the base newspaper: "'We started the process in April [2006] and started planning for the process with the Air National Guard,' Rush said. 'Aerial gunnery is an issue because sometimes excavated sites in the classical world look like fighting positions because they are excavated in nice trench shapes. People sometimes use them because they are relatively safe. The Air National Guard has crews going overseas, and they want their pilots to know the difference. They teach them to avoid certain targets while aiming at others,' she added. 'We will soon be constructing a mock cemetery on Range 48, and that will be one of the avoidance targets.'" By the way, the stacked cylinders in the rotating photo set I include above, could they really be a rough imitation of a Stiftmosaik from the late 3rd millennium BC (for examples from Uruk, see the Metropolitan Museum and the Oriental Institute)? If so, they're too large and also not pointed. Furthermore, cone mosaics are a rare find so not very helpful to prepare soldiers for normal archaeological sites in Iraq. But maybe I'm missing something?

I notice that apart from Mattingly Dr. Roger Ulrich is not mentioned in any of the articles. Kates only has an oblique reference to "developing a field guide." I don't know if one should draw any conclusions from that. Mattingly: "Classics professor Roger Ulrich will begin working soon to develop training materials aimed at helping troops in Iraq and Afghanistan prevent damage to important archeological sites." "Because Ulrich is a classical archeologist, meaning he specializes in Greek and Roman archeology, he hopes to rely on his students' research to supplement his own knowledge. 'I don't really work in the Middle East at all,' Ulrich said." "Ulrich hopes to begin work on the project this summer and continue it into the fall, and the Defense Department hopes to complete work on the materials approximately one year from now. The materials will include a general instruction manual, 100,000 packs of playing cards carrying cultural and historical information and 50,000 laminated sheets for troops in the field to help them recognize and protect historically sensitive areas." As I remarked before: wouldn't a Mesopotamian archaeologist be more appropriate, e.g., Dr. Sam Paley at SUNY in Buffalo? Still wondering... Anyway, Dr. Ulrich's web page, for example, still doesn't refer in any way to this. However, Dartmouth's Peer Academic Link site has Classics student Craig Dent stating that one of his projects will be focused on this.

References
• N. Snyder, "The Rebirth of Sterlingville," in Environmental Update. A Quarterly Publication of Army Environmental News, online, 18, 1 (Winter 2006)
• E. Mattingly, "Prof. to train soldiers to preserve sites," in The Dartmouth (New Hampshire), April 26, 2006
• J.B. Cutshaw, "Post archaeologist will train Soldiers to preserve historic sites," in Fort Drum Blizzard (New York), online, June 22, 2006
• "Military builds mock archaeological ruins and Muslim cemetery on Fort Drum range," in Newswatch 50 (WWTI; New York), July 11, 2006
• W. Kates, "Army archaeologist seeks to heighten soldiers' sensitivity," in Rutland Herald (Vermont), October 8, 2006
• "Classical Studies," in [Dartmouth College] Peer Academic Link (New Hampshire), online, n.d.

Excavations since start of War

2006-10-06T22:23:00.000-07:00

The previous post made me wonder: how many archaeological excavations have taken place since the start of the Iraq War in early 2003? This is all I came up with:

• Tell el-Sadum, el-Qadisiyyah province: excavated in 2004 by the University of el-Qadisiyyah, el-Diwaniyyah
• Zoroastrian Temple close to Jar Ston cave near Duhok, Duhok province (Kurdistan): excavated in 2006 by the Duhok SBAH

In comparison, there were routinely tens of excavations per year in the 1980s, including teams from the US, France, Germany, the UK, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Japan, etc. This was reduced severely in the 1990s till in the 2000s before the Iraq War only a handful of purely Iraqi digs still took place. Looting of sites unfortunately followed a complimentary inverse pattern: from at most sporadic in the 1980s, to more and more organized in the 1990s (partly as a result of the impoverishment caused by the embargo) and finally endemic in the 2000s, esp. since the start of the Iraq War.

Zoroastrian temple in Duhok

2006-10-06T00:15:00.000-07:00

In late August, the Director of Antiquities in Duhok (a.k.a. Dohuk or Dahuk) in Kurdish Iraq, Hasan Ahmed Qassim, announced his institution had unearthed a Zoroastrian temple of Anna Hita. The same brief article is reproduced in several publications and is not very easy to understand, e.g., "[i]t is also said that it was a Metherani temple." By "Metherani" is meant "Mithraic." The legend of the accompanying photo reads: "The newly discovered Zoroastrian Temple near Jar Ston Cave near Duhok; The picture shows the inside of the cave. Photo: Kurdish Globe." This leaves unclear whether the picture shows the Jar Ston cave or one of the sanctuaries of the Zoroastrian temple. The temple is "made up of five sanctuaries, three of which were carved into rock, with the remaining two having been constructed from stone blocks." This temple's architecture is unique but its Zoroastrian character was confirmed by the presence of Anna Hita's holy star, evidence of fires, fireplaces and "holy sand stores [?] found nearby." No date is given. The religious affiliation is not addressed much either. This is not my forte, I'm afraid. For some information on Zoroastrianism, a religion going back to at least the time of the Achaemenid empire and still surviving in India and the US, see for instance Malandra. I do not know how the Mithraic element fits in. Also, Zoroastrianism has in Kurdish Iraq contributed to the sect of the Yezidis, present since at least the Islamic era (see Izady). I'll leave it to experts in this field to clear these matters up.

References
• "Kurdistan: Zoroastrian Temple discovered in Duhok," in Kurdish Aspect, online, August 22, 2006
• M.R. Izady, "Yezidism," in KurdishMedia.com, online, May 26, 2004
• W.W. Malandra, "Zoroastrianism. i. Historical Review," in Encyclopædia Iranica, October 7, 2005

Assur washing away...?

2006-10-03T00:28:00.000-07:00

In an article published on the web site IraqUpdates.com a while ago, the spokesman of the Iraqi Ministry of Tourism and Archaeology warned about increasing problems at the archaeological site of Assur. It seems the water level of the Tigris is higher than usual and is causing erosion of the riverbank and the archaeological layers contained within it. It looks like the ministry went public to try to get more support to protect the site. To be continued?

Source
• "Iraqi ancient Assur city in danger of erosion," in IraqUpdates, online, August 28, 2006

Satire, kitsch & escapism

2006-10-01T11:54:00.000-07:00

The dire situation in Iraq seems to inspire some satire lately. Con Chapman writes: "Warring Muslim factions here are getting a helping hand in their effort to bridge the gap that has divided Shiites from Sunnis since Mohammed died in the seventh century; a new version of the Peace Corps that will use recreational metal detection to build trust and friendship between the two schisms of Islam. ... 'It's also a way to build an economy from the ground up,' says George Twohig, an official with the Agency for International Development who is leading an expedition of 100 volunteer metal detectors from across America into this war-torn land. ... Yoder's first day on the job has him paired with two young men, a Shiite named Hassan Ali and a Sunni named Omar Pachachi." "'You got over 160,000 square miles of sand to work with,' Yoder says as the two men take off in different directions in search of buried treasure. 'Try and stay out of each other's way, and maybe you'll find something.' ... What Hassan discovers only a few inches down is an artifact of great historical significance; a wine cup from the Achaemenian period in the shape of a kneeling ram. Knowing its value, he tries to secrete it in the folds of his robe. Yoder, standing at least twenty-five yards away, sees Hassan's attempt to conceal his find, and springs into action. ... 'Let's see what you got there,' he says in an even voice that nonetheless carries an overtone of suspicion. ... 'What is the fifth commandment of the Brownsville, Texas Metal Detecting Association Code of Ethics?' he yells at Hassan. 'Uh—fill all your holes?' 'No—that's number eight. The fifth commandment is 'I will report the discovery of all items of significant cultural or archaeological interest to a local historical society.' No ifs, ands, or buts,' Yoder snaps." "Meanwhile, Omar is about to enter territory that is off-limits, but because he can't read English he is oblivious to the warning sign posted in his path. He swings his metal detector back and forth calmly and methodically, picking up a trace signal that he pursues, the beeps growing louder as he closes in. The figure of intense concentration that he presents to a viewer is shattered when an explosion is heard and Omar is sent flying in the air, the apparent victim of a land mine."

The Canadian The Toque lets loose on how "Iraqis Retroactively Overthrow Thousands of Years of Brutal Imperial Oppression." "Taking their cue from the actions of coalition forces toppling and destroying statues and pictures of Saddam Hussein, they marched on government buildings storing the artifacts of previous cruel regimes, and gleefully pushed their transition to freedom back across the centuries. 'Destroying statues of Saddam Hussein is a good start, but why stop there? He is not the only brutal dictator to crush the peasants of Iraq under his heel! Look at Sargon II, who proclaimed himself King of the World based on the submission and enslavement of his enemies! I mean look at this statue of him – or what’s left of it. I have already smashed most of it with my hammer.' ... 'Democracy has been a long time coming to us,' says Dr. Rashid Al-Hazred, Professor Emeritus of Mesopotamian History at Al-Azif University, while supervising the historical cleansing. 'Back in 2340 BC, our freedoms were curtailed to make way for the Akkadian Empire of Sargon I. We got out from under that only to find ourselves further restricted under the code of King Hammurabi of Babylon. To ease our minds of such burdensome memories, I have opened my storerooms of ancient clay tablets and seals to allow these painful reminders to be carted off and destroyed by mobs filled with patriotic fervor.'" "Meanwhile, on the 2nd floor of the (formerly) Saddam Museum of Iraqi Antiquities, the Bush-inspired cleansing continued. Coins – minted under Cyrus the Great (539 BC) and Alexander the Great (331 BC), were ceremoniously dumped out of windows and shoveled into wheelbarrows for redistribution to the needy people of Iraq."

What do you call satire or parody that doesn't know itself? Kitsch! The Gilgamesh Lounge Restaurant in London is an exemple par excellence of this. It recently opened and was met with, to say the least, mixed reactions. "Gilgamesh was an ancient Babylonian [sic] king in southern Mesopotamia. What he's doing presiding over a bar-restaurant with food from the Far East and wood carvings from India is anyone's guess. ... He also has the magical ability to make the roof disappear, so that a meal here feels like sitting in Indiana Jones's outdoor lounge room." "... the tedious, confused service made us feel mummified. When Gilgamesh summoned the forces of evil by asking for a tip via the card reader, in addition to the 12.5 per cent service charge already included on the bill, he went from hero to zero." (TimeOut London)

Mr. Rayner from The Guardian is ruthless: "Because I am a stubborn bastard I will also write about the food this week despite the fact that it is completely irrelevant to the place in which it was eaten. If you want proof of that, start with the name. Gilgamesh was a Sumerian king, part god, part man, who ruled a few thousand years back and took time off from smiting his enemies and making people sore afraid to build a bloody big wall. The name obviously has strong Levantine associations. Therefore the food is... pan Asian. Well, of course. It's dim sum and sushi, sashimi and Thai curries. Go figure." "... [it] is without doubt the most absurd, vulgar, bombastic venue to have opened in the capital on my watch. I'm sure many people will like it very much. It reminds me of the 1,000-seater buffet restaurants in the themed hotels of Las Vegas; ..." He rates the food basically OK but "[y]ou can get all the stuff available here elsewhere, both cheaper and much better. Ah, but you can't get the light show and the funky music. If I came back in six months' time and found that [celebrity chef] Pengelley had been replaced by someone doing Indian tapas, or that six months later they were doing Spanish tapas, or six months after that it was Tex-Mex, I wouldn't be at all surprised. Because nothing about the restaurant would have to change. They can keep the decor, because it's already out of context."

Terry Durack offers a more balanced review: "My carved wooden chair has carved wooden arms that end in carved wooden hands clutching carved wooden knobs. The legs are claws, resting on a raised wooden platform. I look up to take in the enormous warehouse-style room with its retractable roof and hand-carved frieze, only to be blinded by glaring banks of club lighting moving from blue to red." "The place looks like a Babylonian-themed film set, with its ornate pillars, and two three-ton statues of the legendary Babylonian winged lion. The relevance - ancient Mesopotamian part-god-part-human meets modern nightspot on Chalk Farm Road - escapes me, but, I suspect relevance is not, um, relevant." "Blimey" indeed! "The night gets off to a flying start with an icy cold ziggurat cocktail ..." "Service is shoo-fly; you have to keep waving people away." Haha! "So don't go for the food alone; but if you go for the phenomenon, hit the cocktails, concentrate on the classic sushi and dry-ice sashimi, and get into the Bronx-cum-Buddha Bar groove. You would have to be dead to not have fun."

Finally, A.A. Gill from The Times of London too went to the Gilgamesh with enfant terrible Jeremy Clarkson (see Jim Davila's PaleoJudaica blog for context): "'Where are we eating?' he asked. Gilgamesh, I said. 'What?' Gilgamesh. 'What’s that?' Earliest recorded fiction. Written in cuneiform. Story of Babylonian deific king of Uruk and his wild and brutish friend Enkidu, who runs naked through the forest. 'I don’t like the sound of that.' It’s wonderful: a marvellously powerful poetic narrative that includes the original story of the flood. And you’re very like Enkidu. 'No, I mean I don’t want to eat cuneiform.' Granted, it’s an odd name for a restaurant." "It has a retractable glass ceiling, three storeys high, and decoration that makes Cecil B DeMille look like St Francis of Assisi." And how about this nice touch: "By way of light relief are the long pietra dura bar, made in the style of the Italian Renaissance, and some Chinese dragons nesting under the eves." "The mise en scène is incongruously, but grandly, finished off with a coup de théâtre. The sports-dome ceiling opens onto the goods track to King’s Cross. Every five minutes, locos pulling containers of Korean gearboxes and German nail-polish remover emit ferrous screams 20ft from your table. The effect is stupefying. This is a hysterical temple to grand kitsch. Real, unironic, poker-faced uberkitsch ... And, like all really good bad taste, the question it screams at the viewer is: 'Guess how much I cost? And who had the glass eye and incontinent wallet to pay for it?' Then there’s the food. How could I forget? It’s a jabberwocky collection of Nobu Asian stuff: ..." "Jeremy looked around and said: 'You know, this could be the Grand Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, or Nineveh. I’m going to bring the kids.' He should hurry. I reckon any day now the Americans are going to invade and set up a green zone in the VIP Babylon bar."

Now wasn't that fun? Maybe this is the only way a lot of people can still handle Iraq nowadays: as satire, parody or just plain escapism and kitsch? In the meantime, most people still haven't really learned much at all about the real history of Iraq and its importance to the world. In the meantime, most people are just about ready to give up on Iraq and let it go to smithereens, no matter how many Iraqis are getting killed, its archaeological heritage being the last thing they worry about. Just wait for a couple of Hollywood movies, superficial and glib, to smooth things over and simplify and at the same time codify what's it all about. No worries, mate!

References
• "Gilgamesh," in TimeOut London (UK), 1871 (June 28, 2006)
• T. Durack, "Gilgamesh, London NW1. For a night out of epic proportions, head to Gilgamesh," in The Independent (UK), July 2, 2006
• J. Rayner, "Babylon or bust. It cost £16m to build, and can seat 520 revellers ... Jay Rayner makes the pilgrimage to Gilgamesh, the pan-Asian gastrodome causing all the wrong sensations in Camden," in The Guardian (UK), July 9, 2006
• A.A. Gill, "Gilgamesh," in The Times (UK), July 23, 2006
• J. Davila, "The Gilgamesh Restaurant Lounge," in PaleoJudaica.com (UK), online, July 23, 2006
• C. Chapman, "Treasure-Hunting Peace Corps Seeks to Bring Sunnis and Shiites Together," in Gather, online, September 13, 2006
• "Iraqis Erase Their Past. Iraqis Retroactively Overthrow Thousands of Years of Brutal Imperial Oppression," in The Toque (Canada), online, [September 29, 2006]

Blue Shield Working Conference in The Hague

2006-09-29T08:51:00.000-07:00

On September 28-29, the annual Blue Shield Working Conference, titled Towards a Solid Organization: Infrastructure and Awareness, was held in The Hague (the Netherlands). Blue Shield is an international organization active in cultural-heritage protection and preservation in cases of natural disaster, war, etc. I would be esp. interested to hear from any participants about the following lectures:

• Disaster Relief for Museums, by Thomas Schuler, Chair of ICOM DRFM Task Force
• The profile of an active member of Blue Shield, introduction by René Teijgeler

Anything else relating to IW&A would of course also be welcome...

McGovern-Polk plan

2006-09-28T20:29:00.000-07:00

Democratic Party éminences grises George McGovern and William R. Polk have written a book, Out of Iraq. A Practical Plan for Withdrawal Now. It will be out shortly. They published an excerpt article in the October issue of Harpers magazine which is unfortunately not available online yet but the Prairie Weather blog is helping us out:

... that phased withdrawal should begin on or before December 31, 2006, with the promise to make every effort to complete it by June 30, 2007.
...
The decision to withdraw at least does not call for additional expenditures. On the contrary, it will effect massive savings. Current U.S. expenditures run at approximately $246 million each day, or more than $10 million an hour, with costs rising steadily each year.
...
... the Iraqi government would be wise to request the temporary services of an international stabilization force to police the country during and immediately after the period of American withdrawal. ... We imagine that the Iraqi government, and the Iraqi people, would find the composition of such a force most acceptable if it were drawn from Arab or Muslim countries.... It would benefit both Iraq and the United States if we were to pay for this force. Assuming that a ballpark figure would be $500 per man per day, and that 15,000 men would be required for two years, the overall cost would be $5.5 billion. That is approximately 3 percent of what it would cost to continue the war, with American troops, for the next two years.

This is what they propose regarding archaeology:

Removal of military facilities from cultural sites

Astonishingly, one American camp was built on top of the Babylon archaeological site, where American troops flattened and compressed ancient ruins in order to create a helicopter pad and fueling stations. Soldiers filled sandbags with archaeological fragments and dug trenches through unexcavated areas while tanks crushed 2,600-year-old pavements. Babylon was not the only casualty. The 5,000-year-old site at Kish was also horribly damaged. We need to understand that Iraq, being a seedbed of Western civilization, is a virtual museum. It is hard to put a spade into the earth there without disturbing a part of our shared cultural heritage. We suggest that America set up a fund of, say, $750 million, or three days' cost of the war, to be administered by an ad-hoc committee drawn from the Iraqi National Museum of Antiquities or the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage, the British Museum, the World Monuments Fund, the Smithsonian Institution, and what is perhaps America's most prestigious archaeological organization, the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, to assist in the restoration of sites American troops have damaged. We should not wish to go down in history as yet another barbarian invader of the land long referred to as the cradle of civilization.

Source
• "Just published: Detailed, positive and authoritative Democratic plan for withdrawal from Iraq," in Prairie Weather, online, September 17, 2006

"We just didn't understand what was going on, and we couldn't coordinate our own people"

2006-09-28T07:08:00.000-07:00

I just came across an article about an Army Reserve Captain I hadn't heard about before: A. Heather Coyne. "She arrived in Baghdad with the 354th Civil Affairs Brigade in April 2003 ..." "Having earned a degree in strategic studies at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies, Coyne was working on counterterrorism and Special Operations issues at the White House's Office of Management and Budget when she decided to join the Army Reserve. ... Army recruiters weren't exactly thrilled with her inquiry ... especially because she wanted an unusual direct commission to be an officer in civil affairs, specializing in the interaction of military units with the local civilian population, especially in peacekeeping and similar missions. ... After two years, and an appeal from the White House to a general at the Pentagon, Coyne was allowed to join the Army in 1999. ... When 9/11 hit, Coyne was studying Arabic at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, Calif. ... on her own dime, she polished her language training in Cairo and got ready to deploy. She was an enthusiastic supporter of the invasion back then. ... Coyne's first suspicion that the occupation wouldn't go as she hoped came on her first mission, which involved looking into the possible theft of archaeological finds. She came away worried by the confusion inside the U.S. military about the task and how to do it. 'We just didn't understand what was going on, and we couldn't coordinate our own people,' she remembered." "... the summer of 2003, ... she transferred to the Coalition Provisional Authority, ..." "'It wasn't until the fall of 2003 that I really began thinking, 'This is a disaster -- we are never going to pull this together,'' she said. 'It was amateur hour.'" "For Coyne, the breaking point came in the spring of 2004, when news of the Abu Ghraib prisoner-abuse scandal emerged. ... Coyne was approached by the U.S. Institute of Peace -- an independent conflict resolution office sponsored by the federal government -- to run its Baghdad office and work on reducing sectarian violence through dialogue. She did that for the 18 months, ..." So I guess she must have been on Col. Matthew Bogdanos's team investigating the looting of the National Museum in Baghdad in 2003? She doesn't seem to cherish the memory though... Another piece of the puzzle.

Source
• Th.E. Ricks, "The Road to Disillusionment. Army Reserve Captain 'Anxious and Depressed' Over Iraq," in The Washington Post, September 20, 2006

Destruction of ancient minaret in 'Ana

2006-09-27T23:12:00.000-07:00

Let me tell you a sad but interesting story: the old town of 'Ana was originally located on the middle Euphrates, about 80 km east of the Syrian border and 310 km west of Baghdad. It was already mentioned in Babylonian and Assyrian cuneiform texts and prospered as a station on the east-west traderoute. One of its prized possessions was an ancient minaret. Dr. Alastair Northedge: "The minaret of 'Ana is commonly attributed to the Uqaylid[ dynasty] and the 5th/11th century [AH/AD], though ... more probably of the 6th/12th century [AH/AD]. It was situated on the island at 'Ana and belonged to ... the congregational mosque. When the valley was flooded by the Qadisiyya Dam at Haditha in 1984-5, the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities cut it into sections, and removed it to the new 'Ana where it was re-erected at the end of the 1980s." The Uqaylids ruled in northern Iraq and northern Syria. Dr. Muayad Said described the structure before the filling of the reservoir: "It has an octagonal body enhanced by alcoves, some of which are blind. ... Conservation work on the building was undertaken in 1935 and again in 1963 and 1964, and today it stands 28 metres high and fully restored. Inside is a spiral stairway encircling a ribbed stone column, ... Around the building lie the remains of a mosque and some stone buildings." Unlike the picturesque and historical town of 'Ana in its fertile river valley, the hastily constructed new town, 14 km to the west, is located on a barren plateau. This town and its minaret obviously have not had much luck as of late.

The 1st picture shows the minaret on el-Qal'a island in 1909, photographed by Gertrude Bell (courtesy of the Gertrude Bell Project), the 2nd photo (from the The Threat to World Heritage in Iraq web site) depicts it after restoration but before the building of the dam, the 3rd one (from Aljazeera.net) in its current condition after the attack: it's pretty much destroyed. The explosion took place on june 22. The Iraqi Accord Front, a mainly Sunni Arab Islamist Iraqi political coalition, accuses Shi'ites of staging a deliberate campaign of destroying national and esp. Sunni-origin monuments: the top of the Malwiyyah minaret in Samarra (also a famous monument built by a Sunni dynasty, this time the Abassids), the monument of el-Mansur in Baghdad, etc.

References
• M. Said, "The Ancient Sites in the Basin of the Haditha Dam on the Euphrates," in Monumentum, 17 (1978), pp. 85-92
• U. Ghaidan and N. Al-Dabbagh, "Iraq. State of Ecology and Built Heritage After Four Decades of Adversity," in M. Truscott, M. Petzet and J. Ziesemer (eds.), Heritage at Risk/Patrimoine en Péril/Patrimonio en Peligro. ICOMOS World Report 2004/2005 in Monuments and Sites in Danger/ICOMOS rapport mondial 2004/2005 sur des monuments et des sites en péril/ICOMOS informe mundial 2004/2005 sobre monumentos y sitios en peligro, München, 2005, pp. 111-121
• A. Janabi, "Mosque blast blow to Iraq treasures," in Aljazeera.net (Qatar), June 24, 2006
• A. Northedge, "Minaret at 'Ana," in Iraqcrisis, online, June 25, 2006
• Ch. Jones, "Photos of the minaret at 'Anah before destruction," in Iraqcrisis, online, September 3, 2006

The National Museum as the canary in the coal mine

2006-09-25T21:51:00.000-07:00

Frank Rich just published an op-ed column in the New York Times (Sep. 24, Stuff Happens Again in Baghdad) which eloquently puts the plight of the National Museum in Baghdad in the context of the larger Iraq War. Let me summarize by means of excerpts:

It's not just about torture. Even if there had never been an Abu Ghraib, a Guantánamo or an American president determined to rewrite the Geneva Conventions, America would still be losing the war for hearts and minds in the Arab world. Our first major defeat in that war happened at the dawn of the Iraq occupation, before 'detainee abuse' entered our language: the 'Stuff happens!' moment at the National Museum in Baghdad." ... Our blindness back in April 2003 seems ludicrous in retrospect. As the looting flared, an oblivious President Bush told the Iraqi people in a televised address that they were 'the heirs of a great civilization that contributes to all humanity.' Our actions ? or, more accurately, our inaction as the artifacts of that great civilization were carted away ? spoke louder than those pretty words. ... That disaster might have been mitigated if our leaders had not dismissed the whole episode as a triviality. But Donald Rumsfeld likened the chaos to the aftermath of a soccer game and joked that television was exaggerating the story by recycling video of a single looter with a vase. ... Of course, dear old Rummy’s what-me-worry take on the museum was the tip-off to how he would be wrong about everything that would follow: he reacted with exactly the same disdain and indifference to the insurgency happening under his own nose and to Abu Ghraib. There would be a hasty corrective to the looting, at least: a heroic Marine Reserve colonel, Matthew Bogdanos, commanded a team that ultimately tracked down a bit more than a third of the vanished objects. ... The cavalier American reaction to the museum looting was mimicked in the $22 billion reconstruction effort, an orgy of corruption and waste that still hasn’t brought Iraqis reliable electricity. ... Speaking before the United Nations last week in what may be the run-up to our new war, Mr. Bush was still on his battle-for-civilization kick, flattering Iranians much as he has the Iraqis. 'We admire your rich history, your vibrant culture, and your many contributions to civilization,' he said. All Iranians have to do is look to the Baghdad museum today to see that such words are worth no more now than they were in 2003. It’s symbolic of the anarchy throughout Iraq’s capital that the museum’s entrances are now sealed with concrete to keep out new hordes of killers and thieves. ... More revealing is the other half of the museum’s current plight: it is now in the hands of Iraq’s version of the Taliban. That sad denouement is another symbol, standing for our defeat in the larger war of ideas. The museum changed hands in August, when Donny George, its longtime administrator and the chairman of Iraq’s official antiquities board, fled the country fearing for his life and for the treasures in his care, both at the museum and the country’s many archaeological sites. Mr. George is a Christian and had good reason to fear. The new government minister placed in charge of the museum, a dentist, is an acolyte of the radical Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr, whose goal is to make Iraq a fundamentalist theocracy. To Mr. Sadr and his followers, the museum’s legendary pre-Islam antiquities, harking back to the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, are infidels’ idols to be sacked. ... But he is instead a major player in the 'democracy' we have installed in Iraq, controlling at least 30 of 275 seats in the Parliament and six government ministries, including the power centers of transportation and health. ... One of the first Westerners to warn strongly of the dangers of someone like Mr. Sadr was Gertrude Bell (1868-1926), the legendary archaeologist, explorer, author and British political officer who masterminded the unlikely cobbling together of the modern Iraq state after World War I. She warned that a Shiite theocracy in the new country would be 'the very devil.' As it happened, it was also Bell who created the Iraqi National Museum in 1923. The fortunes of her museum, once considered the finest in the Middle East, have been synonymous with the fate of Iraq ever since. That’s because, like any such national institution, it is not merely some building that houses art but a repository of a country’s heart and soul.[my own emphasis] That America has stood helplessly by as Mr. Sadr folds the museum into his orbit of power is as ominous a predictor of what lies ahead in this war as was our callous reaction to the looting of 2003. For all of America’s talk of stamping out a 'murderous ideology' and promoting civilization and democracy in Iraq, we are now handing the very devil the keys.

Enough said.

Lyre of Ur replica finished

2006-09-25T21:08:00.000-07:00

From my backlog: in an e-mail dated May 4 Andy Lowings told me that the 1st playable replica of the famous gold bull's head lyre of the royal graves at Ur is finally finished. It was truly a multidisciplinary and international effort that at times ran into seemingly unsurmountable obstacles. The replica was constructed with reasonably-close-to-the-original materials (gold, lapis lazuli, bitumen, cedar wood, pearl shell, pink limestone, sheep gut). Unfortunately, we don't have sufficient knowledge of ancient Mesopotamian music notation to allow for confident interpretation of the extant "music scores" on cuneiform tablets. Even before the replica's decoration was completely finished, it was already being played in concert, e.g., at the Stamford Harp Festival in 2004 by Iraqi musician Tara Jaff, and at the Live8 at the Eden Project in 2005 by Kenyan musician Ayub Ogada. Click on the video at the end of this post to watch a brief clip of Andy Lowings playing the lyre accompanied by Barnaby Brown on the pipes (also copies of ones found in Ur). A project like this may not by itself bring back any smashed archaeological artifact or protect any archaeological site in Iraq but it is very useful in making the very distant Sumerian past come back to life just a little bit again. In order to rally support for the protection of the archaeological heritage of Iraq, it must after all become more than a few pictures in a text book. The project also involved a lot of people and institutions that otherwise would not have been exposed to ancient Mesopotamia...

BSAI, TAARII & DAI

2006-09-25T14:57:00.000-07:00

Some alphabet soup to start the week. The British School of Archaeology in Iraq or BSAI was founded in 1932 and aims to "encourage, support and undertake research into the archaeology (and cognate subjects) of Iraq, and the neighbouring countries, from the earliest times to c. AD 1700." It sponsored archaeological expeditions in Iraq till the 1980s but nowadays it is limited to providing grants twice a year of up to £1,000 normally. From an e-mail I received: "While the focus of the School is on archaeology, applications are especially welcome in the following subject areas, on any period from prehistory to the present day: intellectual history; political change; and Iraq in its Middle Eastern context." The next due date for applications is October 15. Applicants must be residents of the UK or British Commonwealth citizens. The BSAI also publishes the well-known scholarly journal Iraq.

The American Academic Research Institute in Iraq or TAARII, formerly the American Association for Research in Baghdad (AARB), was founded in 1989 "to promote scholarly research on and in Iraq, ancient Mesopotamia." Rather than a society with members like the BSAI, TAARII is a "consortium of American universities, colleges, and museums in order to promote scholarly research in and on Iraq and exchange between American and Iraqi scholars." The resident director, Dr. Lucine Taminian, is currently stationed in Amman rather than Baghdad for obvious reasons. One of the current research projects sponsored by TAARII is Rescuing Iraqi Archaeological Reports, i.e., "to prepare for publication in Arabic and English reports on important excavations and surveys carried out by Iraqi expeditions in the past thirty years but not published." This is indeed more urgent than ever in light of the loss of some documentation during the ransacking of the offices and archives of the SBAH/National Museum in 2003. Furthermore, there are also fellowships available for Iraqi as well as US scholars to conduct research in Iraq. The current deadline is December 15. US or Iraqi citizenship is required.

These are the only two organizations solely focused on Mesopotamia/Iraq. Let me quickly mention a European one which has a branch with a similar function: the venerable Deutsches Archäologisches Institut or DAI, a precursor of which was founded in 1829. The actual Baghdad Branch was set up in 1955. It s biggest claim to fame is the continuation of the excavation of Uruk. They have no presence in Iraq at the current time but provide some assistance.

More on the 52nd RAI

2006-09-21T22:38:00.000-07:00

I just looked up the minutes of the IAA general meeting in Münster this summer. In reference to the previous post, this is how the discussion is reported by Dr. Van Soldt:

Policy on unprovenanced texts

Because of powerfully-held but diametrically opposed opinions on issues related to the status of unprovenanced documents and artifacts, the IAA did not succeed in forming a committee of Assyriologists and archeologists that could formulate a position paper for presentation to the membership. Since no committee was formed the matter was tabled for the time being.
M. Müller-Karpe read a statement concerning the restriction of banned material in Germany. In his statement he urged the German government to lift the restriction. [sic; I think this is the opposite of what M.-K. meant!] D. George pointed out that the publication of looted tablets will lead to more looting. To make this stop the looted material should be handed back to the Iraq Museum in Baghdad.There is a suggestion from the audience to prepare a data-base of looted material. However, most looted objects come from sites and are not previously known.

I looked through the online preliminary program for the same RAI too and noticed the following IW&A-related paper: Giovanni Pettinato, Italienische archäologische Tätigkeit im Iraq [sic] 2004-2006: his activities in Iraq have been quite controversial so it would be interesting to hear more...

Report on the 52nd RAI in Münster

2006-09-21T21:59:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting e-mail from my backlog, sent to me on July 27 by Benjamin Studevent-Hickman (University of Chicago). He attended the 52nd Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale (International Congress of Assyriology & Near Eastern Archaeology) in Münster and was so kind to clue me in. Let me extract the most interesting info:

• Dr. Donny George and several other Iraqi officials attended. Studevent-Hickman unfortunately missed his talk which seems to have been organized at the last minute. This is indeed borne out by the fact that he wasn't included in the program.

• During the annual general meeting of the International Association for Assyriology, Dr. Michael Müller-Karpe presented a statement similar to the one he presented last year at the RAI in Chicago. This time he focused specifically on the law proposed recently by the German government to ratify the UNESCO Convention of 1970:

We therefore welcome that Germany has announced, it will ratify the UNESCO convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property (1970). However,we understand that the draft law, which the cabinet has passed and which is now in the process of approval by the parliament, provides protection to cultural property of Non-EU-states only if listed as single, "individually identifiable" items published in the German Bundesanzeiger (Government Gazette). All other objects, especially loot from undocumented illegal excavations, which can not possibly be published in such lists, will continue to be traded freely. Also excluded from restrictions will be items which were smuggled from the countries of origin before the new law has come into force--even if published in the Bundesanzeiger. In the future, evidence that an artifact had left its country of origin before that date will be sufficient to allow it to be bought and sold legally ... We suggest extending the protection of the proposed import, export and trade restrictions to include cultural goods beyond the few objects published in the Bundesanzeiger, to include all archaeological artifacts with the exception of those proven not to be from illegal excavations and not exported in violation of the laws and regulations of the country of origin.

Müller-Karpe argued that the law is too weak due to the result of lobbying by antiquities dealers. During the short discussion time allotted, it was remarked that other German archaeologists also have been lobbying government officials for some time, and one female archaeologist [who?] actually asked Müller-Karpe not to send the statement to the authorities as it would be counterproductive. [sic]

• Also during the IAA general meeting, it was announced that there would be no proposal for a statement on the problem of looting, particularly concerning unprovenanced artifacts. After the heated discussion in Chicago last year, the board of the IAA had been tasked to set up a committee to investigate the issue and report back this year. The president, Dr. Jack Sasson, however announced that no progress had been made and, given the complexity of the issue, any further efforts would be tabled until things "cool down" a bit. My thoughts are still the same as last year: it's a sad reflection of our field of study that we can't agree on how to deal with a phenomenon that has and is still destroying the remains of ancient Mesopotamia...

International Congress "Cultural Heritage and New Technologies"

2006-09-21T06:55:00.000-07:00

On October 18-20, the 11th International Congress Cultural Heritage and New Technologies will take place again in Vienna, Austria.

The most interesting section is Workshop 2, How to Publish "Old" Excavations With New Technologies, (Wed. Oct. 18) which is chaired by Dr. Sam Paley (The University at Buffalo, SUNY). Let me point out a few papers:

• Sam Paley, How to publish "old" excavations with new technologies – Nimrud Citadel: "... to provide a resource for schools, colleges and univiersities to teach about a pradigmatic site for Neo-Assyrian archaeology and to make our records available for the legal authorities who are searching for looted artifacts and prosecuting offenders. This paper will explain our goals and show what has happened to some of the antiquities as they have reached the market."

• Adam Lowe (Factum Arte), Replicating Cultural Heritage – The repatriation of all known fragments of the eastern end of the throne-room of Ashurnasirpal II in facsimile form: "Factum Arte, with United Exhibits Group (Copenhagen) and the Ministry of Culture of Iraq, has scanned all the known fragments from the eastern end of the throne-room. The resulting facsimile will be the centre piece in an international touring exhibition: The Golden Tombs of Iraq, treasures from Nimrud and after the exhibition will be given to the Iraq Museum, Baghdad. High resolution laser scanning and white light scanning has been completed at The British Museum (London), The Pergamon (Berlin), The Staatliche Kunstsammlungen (Dresden), the Sackler Art Museum, Harvard and The Art Museum, Princeton University. Over 100 sq meters of relief carving have been recorded, the majority at a resolution of 100 microns."

• F. Gabellone and G. Scardozzi (IBAM – CNR, Lecce, Italy), Integrated Technologies for the reconstructive Study of Mesopotamian Cultural Heritage: "... research conducted under the aegis of the 'Iraq Virtual Museum' project, which entails the publication on the web in the near future of a number of archaeological sites and inestimable treasures of Mesopotamian culture. The project is being promoted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (through the general directorate of the Mediterranean/Middle East region, Task Force Iraq), while the scientific coordination has been entrusted to the Italian National Research Council (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche)." "Until now the research activities of our group have encompassed the sites of Ur, Uruk (the Sumerian Room) and Nimrud (the Assyrian Room). A study has been made of the settlements with the help of satellite images, which have provided new data on the topographical aspects of the cities being studied. In addition, a number of objects that are representative of Assyrian and Sumerian culture (some which have been lost as a result of the recent conflict) have been reconstructed by means of three-dimensional image-based modelling (photo-modelling and digital photogrammetry)."

• Heather Baker (Universität Wien), Reconstructing Ancient Babylon: Problems and Prospects: "Many of the published plans of Babylon as it is supposed to have looked during the time of Nebuchadnezzar II (604-562 BC) are misleading because the methods used in reconstructing the city layout are based on false premises which can be traced back to works published in the 1930s." "... offer some thoughts on alternative approaches to reconstructing the city using the excavation records and the written sources for its topography."

On Friday October 20, there will be a session organized by our friend and colleague Friedrich Schipper (Universität Wien): UNESCO-Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property (1970) – the status quo. The most relevant papers here are:

• Gebhard Selz (Universität Wien), Plundered, Stolen and Destroyed. The World Heritage of Mesopotamia in a historical perspective: "... history and memory are always connected to the political sphere, from which we have to discuss the changing reasons for this sort of continued barbarism."

• Michael Müller-Karpe (Römisch-Germanisches Museum, Mainz, Germany), Laundering Antiques of Illegal Origin: Germany’s Struggle against Ratifying the UNESCO Convention of 1970: "... the draft law, which the cabinet has passed and which soon will be approved by the parliament, is primarily oriented to the demands of an affluent antiquities dealers’ lobby. It perverts the goals of the convention." I again call on my readers to join in the e-mail writing campaign.

We're back!

2006-09-20T23:10:00.000-07:00

Guess what: I figured out how to set up and work this blog format. It's too late now to start writing much but suffice it to say that there's a lot to catch up since I stopped reviewing articles. A major new development is of course Dr. Donny George's leaving Iraq. The reasons he gave had to do esp. with the Sadrist party taking over the ministry and the SBAH (pushing out professionals in favor of political appointees) and the ever-deteriorating security situation. Positive news was the return of the statue of Entemena. But more about all that later. Peace and justice, you all!