Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Iraq Antiquities

Thousands of years ago, Iraq was part of the area known as the cradle of civilization. Here lies some of the oldest known art work in the world. Since the Iraq wars, thousands of these art pieces have been stolen by thieves, looters and Iraq citizens. There are a lot of underground antiquities dealers around the world that sell the stolen art pieces for thousands of dollars to private collectors. The pillaging of archaeological sites has increased over the past six years with the US involvement in the Iraq war. Some think this is due to the lack of punishment for stealing the antiquities. When Iraq was ruled by Hussein, the punishment for stealing was death. Now since the US military is there, there is no clear punishment for the theft.

I think that the theft of these pieces is a horrible thing. These pieces give us insight into what life was like during the beginning of civilization and show us where we originated. If some, if not most, of these antiquities are not found, we cannot learn more about history. There should definitely be more security around the museums and archaeological sights. There should also be a well known punishment for the theft of these items. If there were a punishment, it would deter more people from stealing these antiquities. I also think there should be a punishment for anyone found who has bought one of these stolen antiquities. These pieces should be returned to their natural origins. The ancient people of Mesopotamia spent their time to make these pieces beautiful and meaningful for them. Out of respect, we should do what we can to make sure these antiquities are being protected and displayed they way they were intended to be.

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