"Pay-dirt" or Reality Falls Far Short of Hype Once More?

After a series of outlandish claims including that "looted antiquities" are ISIS' second most important funding source after "hot oil" with "$36 million" taken from one area in Syria alone and some dubious assumptions derived from the fact that a coin struck in Apamea was for sale on eBay and a book with ancient coins in it was seized from ISIS, the archaeological lobby has finally appeared to hit "pay-dirt" courtesy of the US State Department and its repatriation of antiquities seized from Abu Sayyaf, who is said to have been a terrorist financier.

But has it really?  A few hundred minor antiquities and Islamic coins (including fakes and a few objects said to be stolen from the Iraq Museum) were found, but if this haul represents the quantity, quality and monetary value of what is stored in those fabled "warehouses" postulated to hold fabulous treasures intended to fund ISIS and its insurgency, hype again has indeed far outstripped reality.

Alleged Links Between ISIL/ISIS and Western Collectors Require Strict Scrutiny

Kate Fitz Gibbon, a former Cultural Property Advisory Committee member, has this to say about recent efforts to link ISIL/ISIS terrorism to Western collectors as the basis to support yet another embargo on the import of artifacts from present-day Syria.

Meanwhile, CBS News has outlined major ISIL/ISIS funding sources as "hot oil," extortion and donations from wealthy Gulf Arabs.   Alleged antiquity sales to Western collectors are not mentioned at all.

CPO hopes US government decision makers and mainstream media scrutinize claims that Western collectors are funding ISIL/ISIS terrorism far more seriously than they did for equally dubious claims that Western collectors benefited from the looting of the Iraq Museum or that Western collectors were driving looting in Revolutionary Egypt.

Your tax dollars at work: Fraud, Waste and Abuse at the Iraq Museum

Crusading Western archaeologists successfully lobbied for millions of dollars in US taxpayer money to be spent on Iraqi Archaeology. They further successfully lobbied for emergency import restrictions on Iraqi cultural artifacts based partly on the theory that the Iraq State was the best custodian for everything-- including common artifacts such as coins.

Was this money well spent? Should anything that looks remotely "Iraqi" be repatriated, including common artifacts like coins? Judge for yourself based upon this troubling report:


This is an interesting but distressing note about the coin [collection] in the Iraq Museum, from From Lamia al-Gailani Werr.

In the Museum they are slowly plodding through the inventory, which according to the current pace will take years. Only twenty thousands out of over two hundred thousands objects have been inventoried so far. The staff are facing many challenges, including a number of objects have lost their numbers, or metal objects that have crumbled as a the result of decades of negligence, and in particular the coins collection. Another difficulty is the lack of expertise amongst the staff to enable them to distinguish the fake from the genuine coinage.

In the Iraq Museum Library many of the old and rare archaeological books are crumbling. The Library have no expert staff to conserve the books. This can also be said for the photographic archive were conservation of the earlier photographs is lacking, and the scanning and digitising the photographic archive is not all that perfect. The staff are scanning with a resolution of 75 pixels only, because they have antiquated computers with very little memory and have no resources to purchase CDs / DVDs or USB sticks. The photographic archive rooms had a lucky escape when I was there, they got flooded one morning, the result of a test by the engineering section to check if repairs carried out to the roof had been done properly. They poured a whole tankard’s hold of water on to the roof for this purpose. The water cascaded down like a waterfall through the imperfect repairs and onto the metal cabinets in the stores and archive rooms. The staff rushed and covered everything with nylon sheets. Clearly the contracted builder’s repair was very poorly to say the least, despite a grant of three million US Dollars.

Of course, archaeological groups are again lobbying for additional millions in US taxpayer dollars being spent on Egyptian archaeology. And they have apparently already told the Egyptians that new emergency restrictions on Egyptian cultural artifacts will be imposed.

If anything, with our own budget deficits, now should be the time to scrutinze such requests far more closely.

Interesting Blog on Fate of Zahi Hawass

I came across this interesting blog on Zahi Hawass that touches on comparisons between him and Donnie George:
http://itsallkickingoff.posterous.com/egyptian-bust

Playing with Fire

There have been reports that a pro-Mubarak mob allegedly comprised of off-duty police has been hurling "Molotov Cocktails" (petrol bombs) at anti-Mubarak protesters near the famed Egyptian Museum. See
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/50500/

The museum remains undamaged by fire-- so far at least. Meanwhile, more suspicions have been raised that the police and museum workers were involved in earlier looting and vandalism that took place at the museum. See http://www.talkingpyramids.com/who-looted-the-egyptian-museum/ And even ardent supporters of repatriation of Egyptian artifacts are starting to doubt the official "party line" as stated by Egypt's new Minister of Antiquities, Zahi Hawass. See http://paul-barford.blogspot.com/2011/02/egypt-declares-treasures-safe.html
and http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/looting-at-saqqara.html

Yet, the AIA and those archaeologists already clamoring for emergency restrictions on Egyptian cultural artifacts remain unwilling to openly criticize Hawass and the Murbarak government for its handling of the issue as well as the probable links between the security services and those who looted and vandalized the Museum.

This raises the question whether concerns about jeopardizing excavation permits has quieted archaeologists from raising the question who really should be held responsible for putting Egypt's unparallelled cultural treasures in jeopardy. This, of course, stands in stark contrast to the quick blame that was heaped on the US Military and the Bush Administration in the immediate aftermath of the looting of the Iraq Museum. Are double standards motivated by self-interest at work?

The Kuwait Museum's Missing Treasures

The Guardian Newspaper recently carried this interesting article about artifacts missing from Kuwait's national museum. See http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jun/21/kuwait-lost-treasures-stolen-riches-rift-iraq The looting of the Iraq Museum in the aftermath of the 2003 American invasion became a cause celebre for the archaeological community. In contrast, the looting of Kuwait's museum in the aftermath of Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion of that country has been largely ignored, even though valuable pieces remain missing two decades later.

Ironically, some of the artifacts ended up on display in the Iraq Museum, before they were ultimately returned under pressure before the Second Gulf War. As far as I know, there has been nothing published about whether Saddam's regime involved Iraq Museum personnel in transferring artifacts there for "safekeeping."

Mother of All Conspiracy Theories: "Cultural Cleansing in Iraq"

The Iraq Crisis List has publicized a new book entitled, "Cultural Cleansing in Iraq Why Museums Were Looted, Libraries Burned and Academics Murdered."

According to Iraq Crisis,

Convention sees accidents of war and poor planning in a campaign to liberate Iraqis. The authors argue instead that the invasion aimed to dismantle the Iraqi state to remake it as a client regime.

See https://lists.uchicago.edu/web/arc/iraqcrisis/2009-11/msg00011.html

As further set forth in Iraq Crisis description, this nefarious plan was supposedly accomplished in a manner that would have made Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin proud-- with US government complicity in the extermination of Iraqi intellectuals and in the destruction of Iraq's cultural heritage.

The archaeological commmunity has certainly used gross exaggeration about the looting of the Iraq Museum and archaeological sites as a "wedge issue" to further both an anti-collecting ideology and to shame Western governments into spending millions to fund their work "to save Iraqi archaeology." See http://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2009/11/myths-of-babylon.html and http://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2009/11/babylon-revisited.html Yet, the allegations in this new book take matters to a whole new level.

Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has blamed the recent bombings of government buildings in downtown Baghdad on members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party allied with the Sunni insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq. See http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/10/25-1 Perhaps, the authors of this new work might also want to consider the part these groups played in creating the post-Invasion chaos that Iraq only seems to be leaving behind ever so slowly.

Concerns Expressed About Iraq Museum Preparedness

History will show that angry mobs looted the Iraq Museum because the local Shia community viewed the cultural landmark as just another outpost of the hated Baathist regime.

Whoever was actually responsible, the archaeological community certainly took advantage of the tragedy. For example, Western governments were shamed into providing millions of dollars to support the museum and Iraqi archaeology.

But could have the tragedy been averted? Has all that money been wisely spent? Could it happen again?

An individual well-qualified to speak on the situation has raised some serious issues on these subjects on the Iraq Crisis List.

Here is that individual's post in its entirety:

Dear All,

Before you read my thoughts below regarding the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage (SBAH) and the National Museum of Iraq, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Zainab Abdul Jabar Mohammed Alzubaidi, and I worked for thirteen years in the SBAH. Most of my work was conducted within the Excavations and Investigations Department. The last position I occupied after the 2003 invasion was Office Manager to the General Manager Office of the Excavations and Investigations Department. I was fortunate enough to work with two of the best Iraqi Archaeologists, Zuhiar Rajab and Burhan Shakir. In addition, I was able to participate in a re-exhibition of the Iraq Museum in 1999 and was a member of committees responsible for securing the artifacts at the Iraq Museum, before the American invasion in 2003. I hold master’s Degree in Anthropology, and I recently earned my second master’s Degree in Museum Studies from New York University (NYU). I am currently a consultant at Columbia University (New York) and a visitor guide at the Brooklyn Museum of Art (New York).

As Lamia Al-gailani Werr mentioned, the Iraq Museum until now–had no emergency preparedness plan. Although the National Museum of Iraq was threatened several times before it was badly looted in 2003, none of the SBAH managers thought to create a simple emergency plan. In fact, they were unaware of how to protect the museum’s collections. I was a witness to the fruitless and inadequate emergency plan of 2003. Unfortunately, until now, the Iraq Museum staff had no knowledge of serious threats to the collections. They required help to establish an emergency plan, according to the collections’ needs and conditions.

In my thesis for the Museum Studies Program, I analyzed and researched the 2003 looting of the Iraq Museum, and I highlighted the museum staff’s complicity, in addition to the invaders’ and international organizations’ responsibilities. Then, I proposed guidelines for the Iraq Museum staff to help them to develop an emergency preparedness plan, in addition to some suggestions regarding the protection of the collections in the case of unexpected events, as mentioned by Lamia Al-gailani. I can say confidently that the Iraq Museum and the SBAH managers during 2003 were responsible for the damage that was incurred. In fact, the 2003 invasion revealed the poor management of the SBAH and the Iraq Museum. We cannot place all the responsibility on coalition forces because the SBAH managers were responsible for much of the tremendous loss and damage of the museum’s collections. I believe that the 2003 looting disaster could occur again, since the Iraq Museum and the SBAH have not yet developed an emergency plan.

Though there are many projects conducted to help the SBAH and the Iraq Museum, there is no clear understanding of the urgent need to protect the SBAH and museum collections. All these programs and projects deal with other issues that are of less importance right now. As a result, millions of dollars have been spent with little to no impact on the SBAH’s or the Iraq Museum’s operations, except the Italian projects and the projects of the University of Chicago. I admit that the SBAH’s staff needs to be further developed, but we also need immediate assistance to develop an emergency plan that builds on strong research and determines the collections’ conditions and potential exterior threats.

Furthermore, a large part of the Iraq Museum’s collection is currently at risk for damage because of poor storage conditions. This also requires an emergency plan. In fact, what we have no already lost due to looting or vandalism will be destroyed by inappropriate and poor storage conditions.

Furthermore, for those who are unaware of these facts, the SBAH staff lacks the necessary techniques for dealing with artifacts, employing proper storage methods, documentation and registration, computerizing databases, as well as access to modern computer programs that would improve the SBAH’s and Iraq Museum’s operations. Since the end of the 1970s, the SBAH has not kept abreast of modern archaeology and museum techniques. This is partially due to the political situation in Iraq at that time; the country was essentially under lockdown, as nobody was authorized to enter or travel outside, except for managers in government departments. However, unqualified managers are also to blame for these issues.

The SBAH and the Iraq Museum depend heavily upon extremely obsolete methods and documentation practices; SBAH’s documentation should be used for a museum display, rather than daily functional purposes. These documents were the achievements of Taha Baker and his generation of Iraqi archaeologists. The SBAH and the Iraq Museum stopped improving upon this documentation system since the end of the 1970s. In other words, all of the SBAH managers since then have been unqualified to maintain the organization. Today, a new generation of Iraqi archaeologists leads the SBAH and the Iraq Museum, but they need help to raise the standard of the Iraqi archaeology field and museum industry. They require immediate help to establish an emergency plan, not just for the museum collections, but for the collections of other departments with the SBAH.

In response to those who believe that the ex-managers of the SBAH and the Iraq Museum were qualified, I would like to raise the following questions:

· Why did neither the SBAH nor the Iraq Museum implement an emergency plan, although they were under the same threats during the 1980s and 1990s?
· Why is there no electronic inventory for the museum collections, although a computer lab was established at the SBAH in 1995 with new computers?
· Why are there no computer databases for the documents belonging to the Archive Department, Microfilm Department, Photograph Department, Excavation Department, and other departments of the SBAH, despite the fact that these documents contain the most valuable information about the SBAH excavations and other works, and are at the risk of damage and loss?
· Why has the SBAH system not been updated since the 1970s until now?
· What are the achievements of the Department of Antiquities and Heritage managers during the 1980s and 1990s?
· What are the achievements of the seven general managers after 1999, when the Department of Antiquities and Heritage became the State Board?
· Why has the entire SBAH system (excavations, Sumer Magazine, research projects, studies, investigation of new and unregistered archaeological sites, and other important SBAH works) been slow and inadequate since the end of the 1970s, although Saddam Hussein gave the archaeology field a unique opportunity?

If somebody argues that the facts above were caused by wars and embargo, I would respond that this assumption is incorrect. Wars and embargo were used to conceal the weak and poor management of the SBAH departments. The real answer to the previous questions is bad management; managers were unqualified and irresponsible. However, some of them studied outside Iraq and traveled several times during the year. Thus, these managers maintained very strong relationships with outside scholars, and they are familiar with archaeological institutions in other countries. Though they could have requested help in order to improve the SBAH work, they did not work effectively to improve and update the SBAH operations. The managers who boast now about their accomplishments are exaggerating. I became more fully aware of the poor management of the SBAH and the Iraq Museum after my involvement in the Museum Studies Program at NYU. I had taken several courses about museum management, in addition to work in several museums in New York City. The SBAH, the Iraq Museum, and their staff were victims of irresponsible managers.

I ask anyone who got my massage to think about what I have mentioned and to research the SBAH and its management. It is very easy for anyone to present himself as a hero, but is this presentation factual? I ask you to compare what some ex-managers claim against their actual accomplishments.

Now, the SBAH and the Iraq Museum are in urgent need of an EMERGINCY PREPERDNESS PLAN in order to cope with the current unstable situation in Iraq. This emergency plan needs intensive research and study of the collections and their needs. It will be shameful to repeat the mistakes of 1991 and 2003. Both plans from 1991 and 2003 were extemporaneous and developed without any prior research or study. As a result, a large part of the hidden collections in 1991 were damaged to inappropriate securing methods, and later, a large portion of the collections was lost in 2003 because the plan was deeply flawed. Today, the Iraq Museum’s collections and the valuable documents of the SBAH Departments are at risk of loss and damage.

As an Iraqi who worked in this institution, I urge specialists, international organizations, and other relevant parties to assist the SBAH and the Iraq Museum in creating an emergency preparedness plan. It is illogical to plan to establish labs and supply the SBAH library with modern publications, while the SBAH’s collections are at risk due to the lack of an emergency preparedness plan.


Please see the attached file:


- Plan for the SBAH and Iraq Museum. I recently created this plan to help in developing the SBAH and the Iraq Museum operations and staff. I have already submitted the plan to the Iraqi Embassy and the U.S. Department of State in Washington, DC, from whom I have received positive feedback.

[the plan itself was posted on the Iraq Crisis List. The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs is presumably the involved entitity within the State Department]


Sincerely,

Zainab Mohammed
A Consultant at Columbia University, New York
A Visitor Guide at BMA, New York

Better Late than Never: Iraq Museum Told to Register Possessions Anew

Archaeologists and Iraqi officials have been quick to vilify collectors and to assume any Mesopotamian antiquity "must be stolen," but they have evidently been all too slow to track exactly what the Iraq Museum's collection actually holds.

"Azzam" (via the Iraq Crisis List) reports that the Iraq Museum has finally been ordered to complete a proper inventory of its collections.

The article can be found here: http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news/2009-08-28/kurd.htm

It states in full:

Iraq Museum told to register possessions anew

By Zainab al-Rubai

Azzaman, August 28, 2009

The government has set up a commission to recount Iraq Museum possessions in the light of the standards applied in international museums, an Antiquities Department official said.

Abdulzahra Talaqani, the department’s information officer, said the registering of the possessions is part of measures by the government to check smuggling and trace items stolen from the museum.

Not only relics on display will be recounted, but also items kept in the museum’s stores and warehouses, Talaqani said.

Prior to the 2003-U.S. invasion, in the early days of which the museum was looted, Iraq boasted of having about 200,000 relics worthy of display.

The number of items kept in the museum cellars such as cuneiform tablets was much higher.

These items were only displayed for scholars investigating and studying Mesopotamia.

The commission will include specialists and auditors who will oversee the inventories and registers.

“There will be constant supervision and the new count will be done in accordance to international standards,” Talaqani said.

He said each category will have its own inventory with information on the antiquity, significance, digging and excavation."

As is well documented, the archaeological community used the looting of the Iraq Museum as a cause celebre to convince the world's governments to not only enforce an international embargo on Iraqi cultural artifacts, but also to lavish millions in aid to fund the Iraq Museum and Iraqi archaeology.

Under the circmumstances, that such an inventory is only being considered now should be viewed as a scandal in its own right. It has been over six (6) years since the Iraq Museum was looted in the aftermath of the 2003 American invasion.

Where did all that money to fund Iraqi archaeology go, if not to fund a proper inventory?

Shouldn't preparing such an inventory been "job one"?

Barbs Against Collectors Don't Explain How Big Bucks Were Spent

David Gill's latest PR Newsire barbs aimed at collectors, Western Museums and antiquities dealers entitled, Looting Matters: Why Do Antiquities From Iraq Continue to Surface on the Market? comes out just as this suggestion was made on the Iraq Crisis List in response to an Arabic language interview of Mr Mufid al-Jazairi, the chairman of the parliamentary Cultural Committee and former Minister of Culture for Iraq.

The writer, who evidently is knowledgeable about the actual situation at the Iraq Museum, states,

The other point is the inventory of the collection of the Iraq Museum. A simple check of every object in the storerooms with the main register, would help in knowing specifically the missing objects and it will also help in finding objects that have not been registered or they have lost their numbers.This is extremely urgent and essential, it has been over six years since the disastrous looting, without the inventory objects could disappear and can easily be blamed to the original looting.

Is it true that no complete inventory has yet been made of the Iraq Museum collections?

Gill argues in his PR Newwire release that,

The international community needs to monitor the sale of antiquities that could have been pillaged from archaeological museums or sites in Iraq. There are likely to be stashes of material waiting to be released on the market once the initial concerns have calmed.The international community needs to monitor the sale of antiquities that could have been pillaged from archaeological museums or sites in Iraq. There are likely to be stashes of material waiting to be released on the market once the initial concerns have calmed.

But if there has been no serious effort to inventory the holdings of the Iraq Museum, how can this be done fairly? Is this just an egregious example of negligence or are archaeologists afraid that a database of objects would make it more difficult to claim that anything that "looks Iraqi" must be stolen?

One thing is for certain. The squeaky wheel has certainly gotten the grease. Western governments have lavished millions of dollars on archaeologists in response to their well- publicized outrage over the looting of the Iraq Museum. If even now that Museum has yet to be fully inventoried, perhaps what really should be investigated is how all that money was spent.

Cuno and Kersel Offer Thoughtful Analysis; Egypt Offers Only More Draconian Laws

Science News has published two thoughtful articles. The first provides a more nuanced analysis of the problem of looting than one normally hears from the archaelogical community. See: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/feature/id/41640/title/Networks_of_plunder

The second is an interview with Jim Cuno about the UNSESCO Convention and its impact on museums. See: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/41671/title/Treaty_on_antiquities_hinders_access_for_museums_by_James_Cuno

In contrast, Al-Ahram reports that the corrupt and authoritarian Egyptian government will likely make its own harsh antiquities laws even more draconian. See: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2009/938/eg7.htm One really wonders about the point of confiscating antiquities from registered collectors just so they can be installed in "archaeological storehouses" as well as the sheer folly of "copyrighting" the pyramids and other Egyptian antiquities.

If anything, Egypt will only succeed in further disconnecting its people from its ancient culture. That should be a cause for concern for everyone. One need look no further than what occurred to the Iraq Museum in the aftermath of the downfall of Saddam Hussein's regime to understand what happens when a nation's past becomes appropriated by a corrupt and despotic government.

As stated previously on this blog, rather than relying exclusively on harsh laws, archaeologists and governments should investigate alternatives like the treasure act and portable antiquities scheme to encourage locals to respect their past.

Iraqi Government Officials Turn Over Artifacts

This curious report has turned up about Iraqi government officials turning over antiquities and coins in their possession to Iraqi cultural authorities:

Government officials surrender 531 artifacts to Iraq Museum, among them gold and silver coins

By Zainab Khudair Azzaman, March 9, 2009

The Iraq Museum has received 531 archeological pieces which were in the possession of senior government officials. The pieces were handed over to the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Qahtan al-Jibouri who in turn gave them to the Iraq Museum, according to the ministry's spokesman Abdulzahara al-Talaqani.

Talaqani said the first batch comprising a magnificent collection of numismatic coins was returned to the museum by Minister of National Security Shirwan al-Waili.

This batch included 366 gold and silver coins of various colors, Talaqani said.

He said the second batch of 165 artifacts was kept by two members of parliament and included mainly statues and cylinder seals. Talaqani said Iraqi scientists who have examined both collections have said they were of astounding beauty and great value.

One magnificent piece, he said, was a pottery statue of a standing woman holding a beaker made of glass. It is the first time senior government officials are reported to have been in possession of so many artifacts.

The officials say the pieces were passed to them by ordinary people. Under a new law in Iraq holders of ancient relics whether stolen or dug up illegally cannot be prosecuted if they choose to hand them over to the authorities willingly.

In fact, the law makes it incumbent on the authorities to compensate and reward anyone returning antiquities by their free will. It is not clear whether the officials will get any compensation and Talaqani declined to say whether the pieces were among the thousands of missing artifacts or part of relics which are being dug up illegally by smugglers across the country."

See: http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news/2009-03-09/kurd.htm

This fragmentary report raises some questions. First, it is unclear why the report indicates that the coins are "of various colors." In any event, I'm not exactly sure what the Iraq Museum intends to do with more coins. Bogdanos has reported that the Iraq Museum already holds about 100,000 or so in storage. See: http://web.mit.edu/ssp/seminars/wed_archives_04spring/bogdanos.htm

It would also be interesting to learn if these artifacts were in some one's collection or whether they were looted after the fall of Saddam's regime. Finally, it is interesting that Iraq has evidently enshrined into law an amnesty for those who turn over such artifacts along with the promise of some compensation.

Addendum: Larry Rothfield has more details about the Iraqi program courtesy of Dr. Donny George: http://larryrothfield.blogspot.com/2009/03/more-on-iraqs-amnestyrewards-program.html

Iraq Museum Reopens

The New York Times reports on the reopening of the Iraq Museum. See: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/24/world/middleeast/24museum.html?_r=1&hp

Unfortunately, politics as usual is at work. Under Saddam, the museum, its exhibits and its curatorial staff were used to butress the Saddam's claim to be the heir to Iraq's ancient kings. After the First Gulf War, the museum was closed to the public, but it became a backdrop for propaganda efforts which used Western archaeologists to try to weaken the UN sanctions. After the Second Gulf War, opponents of US Military action latched upon looting at the Museum to attack the Bush Administration's decision to go to war as well as the occupation of the country. Now, Prime Minister Maliki hopes opening the museum (over the objections of the Ministry of Culture) will help demonstrate to the World that his government has been successful in pacifying Baghdad. It remains unclear if the Museum will remain reopen for the enjoyment of the Iraqi public and when the museum will be brought up to international standards.

Greek Monument in Iraq Commemorating the Clash of Civilizations?

The jingoism of the Greek and Greek Cypriot Governments that collectors and museums have certainly experienced firsthand apparently carries over to flying the Greek Nationalist flag as far away as Mosul, Iraq.

The Museum Security Network listserv reports as part of Greek help to Iraq on cultural matters, Greece plans to build a monument to Alexander the Great's victory over the Persians near Mosul.

Greece to help Iraq cultural reconstruction

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece pledged Tuesday to provide financial and technical aid to help Iraq restore and conserve its damaged archaeological sites and museums.

Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis said Greece and Iraq have also agreed to build a monument honoring the Greek warrior-king Alexander the Great at an ancient battlefield in southern Iraq.

She was speaking after talks in Athens with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari.

Iraqi museums and sites suffered extensive damage and looting in the wake of the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. The National Museum of Baghdad, a treasure trove of artifacts from the Stone Age through the Babylonian, Assyrians and Islamic periods, fell victim to bands of armed thieves. Up to 7,000 pieces are still missing.

Zebari welcomed the Greek offer of cultural assistance, which he said followed an Iraqi request."We have great need of such assistance," he said, adding that technical committees from both countries would meet to discuss the details. Zebari said the battlefield monument would underline the interaction of civilizations in the region. It will be built near the city of Mosul, where Alexander won a crushing victory over a Persian army in 331 B.C. At the time, Iraq was part of the Persian Empire, which stretched throughout most of the Middle East.

While I am glad Greece will offer Iraq some "cultural assistance" and would personally love to see a monument to Alexander, I wonder how that monument will really play in Mosul.

In Persian folklore, Alexander is damned as "Alexander the Accursed." In particular, the few remaining adherents of Zoroastrianism carry a visceral dislike for Alexander and his destruction of the Persian Empire. See: http://tenets.zoroastrianism.com/truthabtalx.html

This should raise an obvious question to anyone but the most ardent Greek nationalist. As we all know from the long running Arab-Israeli and Greek-Turkish disputes, old scores never seem to be settled in the Middle East. While modern Iraq is not exactly Ancient Persia (or even modern Iran), I have to really wonder whether any monument to Alexander will just become a likely target for those who hate the West and view Alexander as merely the first Westerner to target the Middle East for conversion to Western ideals.

Still, I know any misgivings that may be expressed on this blog will likely fall on deaf ears. Who knows. I could be wrong. And, if this monument is actually built and succeeds in bringing in the tourists rather than the terrorists, I would become the first to suggest that perhaps Greece can build another to Alexander in Afghanistan as well.

Does Growing Islamism Bode Ill for Pre-Islamic Antquities in Islamic Lands?

The New York Times recently ran an interesting article about the Islamic youth movement in Jordan. For more, see: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/24/world/middleeast/24jordan.html?scp=1&sq=Jordan%20Islamic%20youth&st=cse

In her book, "Loot," Sharon Waxman has already commented on the lack of connection that people even in moderate Islamic countries, like Turkey, feel towards pre-Islamic monuments. In particular, she pointed out that Turkey's magnificent cultural sites relating to its Greek and Roman history are mostly visited by foreign tourists. In contrast, Turks are far more likely to visit sites associated with Turkey's Ottoman past. Of course, foreign tourists can only support relatively few easily accessible monuments. In contrast, sites "off the beaten path" are likely to by ignored by tourists. In turn, this makes it much less likely that the authorities will take any active efforts to preserve them. Thus, it becomes more likely that such sites will not only suffer from neglect, but also looting or even outright destruction in the name of "progress."

To the extent secular Middle Eastern Governments are replaced by "Islamic" ones, one wonders about impact of such changes in government on the long term health of pre-Islamic monuments. Already, cultural heritage bureaucracies in many Middle Eastern countries are grossly underfunded. And, as Waxman also has pointed out, once an Islamic- leaning party took control in Turkey, the already abysmal level of funding for cultural sites was cut even further in favor of other priorities.

One thing should be increasingly clear. The old nationalist model of associating the state with the glories of a pre-Islamic past, complete with absolute governmental control over anything "old," does little to encourage the local populace to respect ancient artifacts. Indeed, as the wanton destruction of the Iraq Museum by a populace that associated it with the hated nationalistic Baathist regime has shown, this bankrupt, old model may actually encourage the active destruction or looting of ancient artifacts.

Latest Opportunity to Beat Up on the US Military

An upcoming UNESCO Report will offer yet another opportunity to rehash damage done to the site of Babylon by US and Polish troops in the aftermath of the 2003 invasion. For more, see: http://abcnews.go.com/International/Story?id=6236787&page=1

The ancient Mesopotamian City, conquered in turn by the Assyrians, the Persians and then by the Greeks under Alexander the Great (who died there), was last the subject of serious archaeological exploration over a century ago. More recently, Saddam Hussein sought to aggrandize his regime through an association with the site. The results weren't pretty. Saddam sought to rebuild the city as a tourist attraction, complete with a modern palace in the shape of a ziggurat. Many of the bricks he used were even inscribed with his name in imitation of the ancient Babylonian kings. For more, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylon At the time, however, there was not much of an outcry from the archaeological establishment. After all, Saddam had funded Iraqi archaeology lavishly for the very same reasons that he took interest in Babylon, and Iraq was a friendly place for foreign archaeologists (as long as they did not "rock the boat" at least).

In any event, despite a long history of abuse and neglect of the site, the Iraqi government has apparently asked UNSECO to focus a report about Babylon on damage to the site caused by US and Polish troops which had a base there. This was already the subject of substantial coverage in the media following an outcry from members of the archaeological establishment, many of whom had vehmently opposed the war.

While bashing the US Military might fit in well with the agendas of UNESCO, members of the archaeological community and certain Iraqi politicians, I'm not sure what another report will do to help ensure that the site will be properly rehabilitated.

The US has already agreed to throw more money at the site. However, with increasing concerns about Iraqi government corruption, one wonders whether this money will be well spent. See generally, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/18/world/middleeast/18maliki.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=corruption%20Iraq%20&st=cse (noting that the Iraqi government has dismissed fraud monitors in government agencies, including the Ministry of Culture).

Looking a Gift Horse in the Mouth

The Bush Administration has announced a substantial $13 million grant to help Iraq's museum and archaeological infrastructure: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2008/oct/111017.htm Laura Bush helped roll out the program at the Iraqi Embassy: http://www.whitehouse.gov/firstlady/ This money is in addition to millions already spent to date on the Iraq Museum and archaeological establishment courtesy of the US taxpayer.

With American museums and cultural institutions hurting due to collateral damage from the meltdown on Wall Street, I am a bit mystified why authorities like Larry Rothfield have anything to gripe about, particularly when his own University of Chicago's Oriental Institute will share in the government largess. See http://larryrothfield.blogspot.com/2008/10/good-newsbad-news-new-iraq-cultural.html

I take it that Rothfield wants the State Department to pay for site security in Iraq, but hasn't the US already spent hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars building up Iraq's security forces? It is for the Iraqi government to decide how those forces are deployed. And, although Rothfield apparently continues to deny it, others believe that any looting of Iraqi archaeological sites has declined greatly along with the general decrease in lawlessness in the country.

"Repatriations Back to Iraq"

The VOA has publicized the handover of antiquities that were allegedly illicitly removed from Iraq. The story can be found here: http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-09-15-voa55.cfm A somewhat more detailed piece from "The Imperial Valley News" can also be found here: http://www.imperialvalleynews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2709&Itemid=1

Attendees at the ceremony included John Russell, a State Department employee and archaeologist. Russell previously lobbied Congress for passage of legislation to allow the State Department to impose "emergency" import restrictions on a host of Iraqi archaeological artifacts, including ones as common as coins. For more see, http://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2008/05/john-russell-from-activist-to-regulator.html

As the "Imperial Valley News" states,

Julie L. Myers, Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), completed the repatriation of 1,046 cultural antiquities to the Government of Iraq that were seized in four separate investigations dating back to 2001.

The items, which included terra cotta cones inscribed in Cuneiform text, a praying god figurine that was once imbedded in a Sumerian temple and coins bearing the likenesses of ancient emperors, are an illustration of the long and varied history of the country now known as Iraq. Remnants of ancient Cuneiform tablets, which were seized by the Customs Service in 2001, were recovered from beneath the ruins of the World Trade Center. [Note: They were evidently stored after being seized in a US Customs Building that was destroyed in the 9/11 attacks]

Later on in the article there are more details about the seizure of coins:

[I]n 2003, five Federal Express packages containing glass bottles, coins, copper knives, spear heads, necklaces, cylinder seals, a bronze stick and set of decorative armor were imported by another Newark, N.J., gallery. ICE New York agents determined, with the help of experts, that the items, which were originally declared to be of British origin, were all, except for the armor, from Iraq. In total, 671 items were seized (406 glass bottles, 5 bronze spear heads, 6 bronze daggers, 87 cylinder seals, 2 metal sculptures, 1 metal axe head, 120 beaded necklaces, 1 large bronze spear/sword, 10 metal daggers, 30 antique coins, 2 bronze figurines, 1 small glass plate) and determined to be from various locations throughout Iraq.

This article raises two obvious questions outside those already raised in two recent posts about Immigration and Customs Enforcement's exploits.

Most obviously, "Is that all?" I'm sure some will think that 1,046 objects is a significant number. However, that number must be judged against all the hyperbole we have heard since 2003. You know, the incessant chatter in the press and archaeological blogs that Iraqi archaeological sites have been "strip-mined" of immense numbers of artifacts with a lion's share being destined for the illicit market in the United States and Europe. At a minimum, the actual number seized in the US belies any claim that whatever may have left Iraq illicitly was destined for our shores.

Second, as someone who has collected and studied ancient coins for over 30 years, I would be quite interested to learn how "experts" were able to opine that the coins found in a FED EX package were illicitly removed from Iraq. Coins that circulated in Iraq also circulated around the Middle East (and beyond). Presumably, the coins in question could have been found in Iraq. On the other hand, they could also have been found most anywhere. And for that matter, for all I know, they could have resided in some collection for years before being seized by US Customs.

I say this for this simple fact: It is likely that much of the material that was seized and repatriated to Iraq was simply abandoned by the importer. Let's face it. The costs of hiring a lawyer to contest the seizure of items of small value like "30 antique coins" is just not worth it.

Without Customs' claims being tested in a contested adjudicatory hearing, it is at least possible that a significant number of the 1,046 items mentioned in the articles are actually being "repatriated" to a country from whence they never came!

All and all, this should be a cause for deep embarrassment for both ICE and members of the archaeological community like John Russell. Perhaps, that is why we are only hearing about this handover ceremony from the VOA and "The Imperial Valley News."

In the meantime, sources like the Art Newspaper are starting to ask hard questions about the claims of archaeological community about the extent of looting in Iraq. Hopefully, that long delayed scrutiny of the archaeological community's claims about Iraq is only beginning.

End of Most Looting in Iraq

The Art Newspaper has reported that most looting in Iraq has ended with the improving security situation. http://www.theartnewspaper.com/article.asp?id=16008
One would think this news would be cheered and not jeered as it has been on both the "Safe Corner" blog and on the Iraq Crisis List. See: http://safecorner.savingantiquities.org/2008/08/iraq-looting-of-sites-is-over.html and
https://listhost.uchicago.edu/pipermail/iraqcrisis/2008-August/002127.html and https://listhost.uchicago.edu/pipermail/iraqcrisis/2008-August/002129.html

Why the concerted effort to contest the views of a former Iraqi official on the scene? A cynic might suspect that those most interested in arguing that looting in Iraq continues on a large scale fear that good news will mean that their "15 minutes of fame" is fast drawing to a close.

Hugh Eakin and the Devastation of Iraq's Past

Hugh Eakin has written an article entitled "The Devastation of Iraq's Past" for the New York Review of Books. It can be found here: http://www.nybooks.com/articles/21671

Eakin writes well and carefully, attributes not always found in the news business of today. That said, one should keep in mind that an article is only as good as its sources. Here, by necessity, Eakin relies on several experts who have arguably exaggerated the situation "on the ground" in the past.

Verification has been a problem due to instability in the country since the invasion in 2003, but this is beginning to change. This probably helps explain why when information finally comes to light-- as it has recently-- that there has been no recent looting at several important sites in the South doubts set in as to whether there has been any looting at all.

Eakin tries to set the record strait and does an admirable job attempting to do so. Still, one can't help feel that past exaggeration continues to haunt his entire enterprise. For example, on page 2 Eakin quotes Elizabeth Stone as estimating that hundreds of thousands of artifacts have been looted from sites in Southern Iraq. Yet, in the corresponding footnote, Eakin acknowledges the conjectural nature of any such estimates. Moreover, as he must, Eakin suggests that the amount of such material that has surfaced in the West remains limited and further that the amount recovered in an international dragnet no where near approaches Stone's estimates.

The nature and extent of the looting of archaeological sites within Iraq will probably remain in dispute for years. Under the circumstances, what I found most helpful was Eakin's acknowledgement that the best defense to looting is to engage the local populace. To me at least, encouraging the local populace to respect their own heritage sounds more promising and fair than the wholly punitive measures that have been emphasized to date.