Team Finds Little Evidence of Archaeological Looting in Iraq

Archaeologists debunk claim of looting in S. Iraq war zone:

Curtis admitted he had been “very surprised” by the team’s findings and cautioned that, while the survey covered the most important sites in an area equal to one-fifth of the country, it might not be representative.

“It may not be typical of the country as a whole, and the situation could well be worse further north,” he warned. Curtis credited efforts by coalition forces and local authorities, as well as the drying up of the international market for Iraqi antiquities, with keeping looters away.

The team did identify damage to sites caused by the Iraqi military and coalition military forces. At Ubaid, trenchworks to protect Saddam’s tanks had been built in archaeologically significant deposits. Similar damage was found at Tell el-Lahm. Paper food wrappers provided evidence of the U.S. military at the latter site.

At Abraham’s Ur, significant damage was identified caused by large numbers of troops walking over the site in desert boots. And ancient buildings, reconstructed in the 1960s and 70s, were in danger of collapse from weathering. The team did not confirm Farchakh’s report that military vehicles from the U.S. base were causing the walls of the buildings to crack.

In 2003, WND reported in the aftermath of reports of looting at the National Museum in Baghdad, nearly all of the Iraqi antiquities feared stolen or broken by looters have been found inside following an inventory.