Presentation Title
The Forgotten Losses of the War in Iraq
Abstract
My poster will focus on the destruction of the pottery and ceramics in the National Museum of Iraq in 2003. I will analyze the role that the U.S. Army had in the looting as well as their role in the recovery of the looted artifacts. My main focus will be to explain how the tragedy could have been avoided if American officials had listened to McGuire Gibson's warning about "flash looting". This is rapid looting that occurs upon invasions, natural disasters, or civil unrest. In the end I will propose having archaeologists involved in the discussion before the invasion of a foreign country in order to prevent further looting of rare antiquities.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Scott Van Keuren
Status
Undergraduate
Student College
College of Arts and Sciences
Program/Major
Anthropology
Primary Research Category
Arts & Humanities
The Forgotten Losses of the War in Iraq
My poster will focus on the destruction of the pottery and ceramics in the National Museum of Iraq in 2003. I will analyze the role that the U.S. Army had in the looting as well as their role in the recovery of the looted artifacts. My main focus will be to explain how the tragedy could have been avoided if American officials had listened to McGuire Gibson's warning about "flash looting". This is rapid looting that occurs upon invasions, natural disasters, or civil unrest. In the end I will propose having archaeologists involved in the discussion before the invasion of a foreign country in order to prevent further looting of rare antiquities.