In 2003, the United States began the military actions that marked the first clashes of the Iraq War. In official circles, the justification for the action of the United States involved the interest to annihilate the supposed weapons of mass destruction that could be used by radical groups supported by the dictator Saddam Hussein. In practice, the US had an interest in controlling the oil reserves located in the territory and recovering its political image after 9/11.
Lasting for seven years, the conflict ended up fueling expenditures that exceeded billions of dollars. At the same time, as such weapons were not presented and soldiers' deaths increased, the international community increased its pressure against the conflict. In addition to these issues, we must also emphasize that the occupation of Iraq has also caused serious damage to the valuable historical heritage of the ancient Eastern civilizations that lived there.
In less than six months of occupation, having already overthrown the government of Saddam Hussein, US troops occupied a huge archaeological site that earned the name "Alpha Camp". Used until the end of 2004, the region suffered the various effects of the military's need to level the land, open up trenches, building helipads, erecting residential barracks and setting up other facilities suitable for the troops' modern military apparatus Americans.
The earth removed during this time and the heavy equipment that circulated in this region caused the destruction of various fragments of pottery and other elements of Babylonian material culture. Since much of the texts of the time were recorded in clay, historians and other researchers have lost a plethora of information about the ancient Eastern world. In fact, the use of “Campo Alfa” was only the most visible depredation of property caused by the conflict.
The explosion of bombs and the circulation of heavy vehicles ended up compromising the structures of the Ishtar Gate and the Via Processional, two important architectural feats of Babylon. These important monuments of oriental culture suffered several cracks or had their bricks detached from the original construction. That same impact caused the roof of the Ninmakh Temple to collapse and topple the layers of soil that determined the dating of many ancient artifacts.
Finally, we emphasize that the war situation itself ended up creating an opportunity for the looting of Iraqi museums and archives. Entire collections dedicated to portraying the times of Hammurabi and Nebuchadnezzar were stolen or destroyed. The same end ended up taking another batch of documents that were kept in the Library and Archives of Babylon. Thus, we see that the war also proved to be tragic for the preservation and discovery of the knowledge contained in this cradle of civilization.
By Rainer Sousa
Master in History
Brazil School Team
XXI century - wars - Brazil School
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/guerras/o-patrimonio-perdido-com-guerra-iraque.htm