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Experts: Looting, neglect spoil Iraqi treasuresTeam documents theft, destruction at archaeological sites
By Marsha Walton
(CNN) -- A team of archaeologists said Wednesday that some historical sites in Iraq suffered serious damage during and after the U.S.-led war, warning that looting continues in some areas of the country. Shortly after the fighting ended, the National Geographic Society organized a group of experts to assess the damage to some key archaeological sites as well as museums. Thousands of archaeological sites are in Iraq, a country considered by many experts as the cradle of civilization. Once known as Mesopotamia, the region is believed to be the birthplace of the written word and home of the world's first urban area, both of which emerged around 3500 B.C. World attention focused on the country's archaeological treasures after Iraq's National Museum in Baghdad was looted during the war. "Extraordinary damage is being wreaked on this irreplaceable archaeological record," said expedition leader Henry Wright. He and other participants spoke to reporters Wednesday in a conference call. The National Geographic team made recommendations to try to stem the damage. The scientists are calling for increased patrols and 24-hour guards at more locations. In many cases, Iraqi guards need to be better trained and armed, they said. In some cases, they said guards remained on the job even though they haven't been paid for months. Scientists find no sign of bomb damageOne team of scientists went to the dry farm plains of northern Iraq; others inspected the marshes of the south. During the survey, made from May 10 through May 24, the scientists said they saw no signs of bomb damage at any of the sites they examined, confirming that the U.S. military was aware of key historical and archaeological sites and had made efforts to avoid them.
The damage the team observed often was the result of a combination of factors, scientists said. "It's a piecemeal mix of problems, a combination of neglect, looting and vandalism, as well as the very specific theft of art objects," said Tony Wilkinson of the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute. "When you look from afar, you think, 'war damage,' but it's really many different things." Slabs from some walls of palaces in the ancient Assyrian capital of Nimrud had been stolen, the scientists said. In Nineveh, some ancient works had been attacked by sledgehammers, and it appeared that looters had tried to dig under the floors of the palace, apparently in search of gold or other treasure, scientists found. Damage to the Mosul Museum, its gallery and storerooms was considerable, they said. During their fieldwork, the researchers said, they spoke with U.S. soldiers who were assigned to some of the historical sites around the clock. "These guys were fearsome," Wilkinson said. "They could deter anything but a minor army." A market for stolen antiquitiesIn many cases, members of the National Geographic team said they learned from local historians that looters went after national treasures the day war started. The thieves were armed well enough to overtake easily the unarmed or lightly armed guards paid by the Iraq Antiquities Authority, researchers said. Elizabeth Stone, a professor at Stony Brook University in New York, said a thriving market exists for stolen antiquities.
"This trade is governed by the desire of people in the West to purchase these items; it's similar to the drug trade," Stone said, adding that wealthy buyers in Japan, Europe and the United States drive this market. Researchers said they also documented damage in Hatra, Tell Afar and Nineveh in northern Iraq. 'Still thousands of things missing'In Baghdad, the losses are not as dramatic as first reported. Officials have since said that hundreds of priceless artifacts were stored in vaults for safekeeping since 1991. But McGuire Gibson of the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute said the losses are still considerable. "In total, there are still thousands of things missing, including 33 major objects," Gibson said. Among those items are some of the world's earliest professional sculptures, he said. He also said many records were destroyed. Looting remains a problem at many archaeological sites, the researchers said. Gibson said as many as 300 people had flocked to some sites, making them look like Swiss cheese they were so full of holes. A helicopter survey showed sites at Umma and Umm al Aqarib were being dug by a gang of up to 200 looters, Gibson said. In the long term, other nations need to provide training and equipment for future protection and conservation of materials, said the National Geographic Society committee members.
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