April 21, 2008
temporary solution to ftp problem
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
April 15, 2008
sorry, Blogger ftp'ing issues again
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.
April 14, 2008
The British Museum keeps fighting the good fight
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:
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.
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.
April 11, 2008
Show and sell
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.
April 09, 2008
Exhibition, book and symposium in Chicago
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.
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
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).
•
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).
March 20, 2008
Global Candlelight Vigil commemorating the 5th anniversary of the looting of the National Museum in Baghdad
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.
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.
March 02, 2008
I finally got to meet my friend Donny George
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.
April 14, 2007
4th anniversary
November 26, 2006
Bye
Blog and site are going on indefinite hiatus.
Francis Deblauwe
fdeblauwe [at] gmail [dot] com
(312) 217-7689
Francis Deblauwe
fdeblauwe [at] gmail [dot] com
(312) 217-7689
November 23, 2006
Dr. Kathryn Slanski
"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)
