Thousands of archaeological sites in Iraq, birthplace of the world’s most ancient cities and earliest writing systems, may soon be threatened by one of the oldest scourges known to man: war. At the invitation of the Pentagon, American archaeologists have supplied military strategists with information about ancient sites to minimize collateral damage. Concern also remains high about postwar looting: Following the Gulf War in 1991, mobs raided nine of Iraq’s 13 regional museums. Over the past decade, numerous items from Iraq’s ancient archaeological sites have appeared on the market. Here are some vulnerable sites. At Risk!: Ancient Sites in […]
