Professors try to protect Iraqi artifacts

A panel of eight archaeological experts gathered at the J. Paul
Getty Museum Tuesday to propose solutions to the looting of
cultural artifacts in Iraq.

A four-step plan and other solutions were introduced during this
event which included three UCLA professors.

The fall of the Iraqi regime brought on a wave of looting,
especially in Baghdad. Many museums, including the Iraq National
Museum, and archaeological sites have been pillaged for rare
artifacts.

The four-step plan was introduced by Robert Englund, a UCLA
professor of Assyriology and Sumerology.

The first step was to protect existing archaeological sites from
continual plunder.

Next, he said, an increase in the policing of illegal
trafficking of stolen goods is necessary. To aid this policing, the
panel discussed the idea of closing Iraq’s borders.

The third step entailed that a list of all things in the Iraq
National Museum be created in order to recognize what has been lost
and/or damaged.

Lastly, the panel recommended documenting full collections of
cultural heritage and making them accessible to the archaeological
community.

Englund voiced the need for cooperation between international
police and experts worldwide.

“International law enforcement and experts need to work
hand in hand,” Englund said.

In aiding this cooperation, Englund referred to the Cuneiform
Database Library Initiative, an online database at UCLA which lists
and describes many artifacts.

Englund said similar databases could help law enforcement
agencies, such as Interpol, more easily identify stolen
artifacts.

Elizabeth Carter, UCLA professor of near eastern archaeology,
outlined various plans to help the situation in Iraq.

One such plan was a proposed joint program between UCLA and the
Getty Museum. If passed, this program would teach Iraqi students
archaeological and ethnographic conservation.

By teaching them the skills to identify and preserve artifacts,
Carter said she hopes they will be able to better protect
themselves against future acts of theft and vandalism.

She also discussed the importance of such groups as the American
Committee for the Conservation of Iraqi Cultural Heritage.

This committee, of which Carter is a member, hopes to synthesize
ideas for aiding Iraq in restoring its cultural history.

The majority of looting took place within the Iraq National
Museum. According to Carter, about 130 offices were ransacked, and
30 to 40 objects of considerable value were stolen. Larger
artifacts too heavy to remove were smashed.

The full extent of damage done to the Iraq National Museum still
remains unknown due to lack of resources and staff.

Within Iraq are many artifacts significant to the history of
humankind. Many archaeological experts consider Iraq the
“cradle of civilization,” where humankind built its
first cities and developed its first forms of writing.

Due to the worldwide significance of these artifacts, experts
and museum curators around the world have held multiple meetings in
New York and England in order to determine how they might preserve
and restore Iraq’s despoiled national museum.