Editor's Note: From the beginning ... from the time the first U.S. missiles hit Baghdad on March 20, 2003 until today, millions around the world continue to be sickened by the carnage and human suffering. The destruction and wasting of the Historical Museum of Antiquities in Baghdad during those first few weeks of the invasion is another kind of suffering and of different proportions. The malevolence and ignorance behind that destruction and theft was inflicted by the United States government on all of humanity.
We still carry in our hearts and minds, a sense of the darkness and self-hatred that led human beings to destroy the history of their own civilization. It is with great sadness that we read this report by archeologist-journalist Farchakh Bajjaly. We grieve as we try to come to terms with the profundity of this crime against our own humanity. The priceless artefacts destroyed and stolen belonged to all of us.
We must remember that it was U.S. Marines who stood by, watched the destruction and theft take place. Farchakh Bajjaly writes: "Professional smugglers connected to the international antiquities mafia managed to break some of the sealed doors of the Baghdad Museum storage rooms." So now they have been given a name - the "international antiquities mafia". We ask who they really are. Who had access under the gaze of the U.S. military? - Les Blough, Editor
Carved cylinders were rolled across soft clay to form an identifiable seal |
Saddam Hussein's power had collapsed and the newly arrived US-led coalition forces were unable to prevent a crime against history.
Professional smugglers connected to the international antiquities mafia managed to break some of the sealed doors of the Baghdad Museum storage rooms.
They looted priceless artefacts such as the museum's entire collection of cylindrical seals and large numbers of Assyrian ivory carvings.
More than 15,000 objects were taken. Many were smuggled out of Iraq and offered for sale.
To date, 3,000 have been recovered in Baghdad, some returned by ordinary citizens, others by the police. In addition, more than 1,600 objects have been seized in neighbouring countries, some 300 in Italy and more than 600 in the United States.
Most of the stolen items are unaccounted for, but some private collectors in the Middle East and Europe have admitted possessing objects bearing the initials IM (Iraq Museum inventory number).
Ancient sites levelled
An ever-growing number of websites also offer Mesopotamian artefacts - anywhere up to 7,000 years old - for sale.
Doubtless, there are more fake objects advertised on the web than authentic ones, but the mere existence of this market has fuelled the looting of archaeological sites in southern Iraq.
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 Basitki statue
The bronze statue of Basitki, dating back to the Akkadian kingdom of 2300 BC, was stolen in April 2003. It was recovered by Iraqi police and US soldiers in July 2003.  |
If properly excavated, these cities - covering an estimated 20 sq km - could help us learn about the development of the human race.
But the looters have destroyed the monuments of their own ancestors, erasing their own history in a tireless search for a cylinder seal, a sculpture or a cuneiform tablet that they can sell to a dealer for a few dollars.
It is tough, poorly paid work carried out by jobless Iraqis with no way of earning a better income.
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 It's a disaster that we are all witnessing and observing, but which we can do little to prevent  - Abdul Amir Hamadani Nasiriya archaeologist |
"It's a disaster that we are all witnessing and observing, but which we can do little to prevent. With the help of 200 newly recruited police officers we are trying to stop the looting by patrolling the sites as often as possible.
"But we are now all alone. Italian carabinieri troops were the only coalition forces that actively worked on this issue for a few months. They used to patrol the region by land and from the sky. They have stopped all their operations and are now simply helping train policemen and guards."
Heavy boots
Coalition forces have themselves damaged archaeological sites by using them as military bases.
The withdrawal of coalition troops from Babylon has revealed irreversible damage to one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
An alarming report by the keeper of the British Museum's Near East department, Dr John Curtis, describes how areas in the middle of the archaeological site were levelled to create a landing area for helicopters and parking lots for heavy vehicles.
Looted Sumerian sites now resemble the surface of the moon |
"US military vehicles crushed 2,600-year-old brick pavements, archaeological fragments were scattered across the site, more then 12 trenches were driven into ancient deposits and military earth-moving projects contaminated the site for future generations of scientists.
"Add to all that the damage caused to nine of the moulded brick figures of dragons in the Ishtar Gate by people trying to remove the bricks from the wall."
There will be no end to the destruction of Iraq's heritage, unless the country's leaders take a political decision to consider archaeology a priority.
For this, the ring of dealers in Baghdad has to be seized, looting in the south has to be effectively confronted and coalition forces have to be prevented from setting up base on archaeological sites.
The longer Iraq finds itself in a state of war, the more the cradle of civilization is threatened.
It may not even last long enough for our grandchildren to learn from.
Joanne Farchakh Bajjaly is an independent archaeologist and journalist covering the Middle East, who has been studying Iraqi heritage for the last seven years.
Photos by the British Broadcasting Company
Warka Lady
Basitki Statue
Assyrian Angel
Cylinder Seals
History in Pieces