Catastrophe - The Looting and Destruction of Iraq's Past
15-22 June 2009
Venue: Society of Antiquaries, Burlington House
Catastrophe! The Looting and Destruction of Iraq's Past was launched on 15 June 2009 at the Society of Antiquaries, Burlington House. The event opening included remarks from Alec Boksenberg, chair of the UK National Commission for UNESCO, and Major Hugo Clarke, Scots Guards. Read more about the launch here.
The infamous looting of the National Museum in Baghdad was a cultural catastrophe which caught the world’s attention in the early days of the Iraq war.
But the looting of archaeological sites continues. That is why the travelling exhibition, Catastrophe! The Looting and Destruction of Iraq’s Past, is coming to Britain as part of an ongoing campaign to raise awareness of the importance of protecting cultural property during armed conflict.
This is the first time the exhibition, produced by the Oriental Institute in Chicago, will be shown in London. In its role as a focal point for those concerned with public policy and the heritage, The Society of Antiquaries is pleased to host Catastrophe! at its headquarters in Burlington House, Piccadilly.
This travelling version of the exhibition is funded by the UK National Commission for UNESCO, Newcastle University and the North East Regional Museums Hub. The display of photographs and information boards chart the looting of the Iraq National Museum in Baghdad and the continuing looting of archaeological sites in the country.
A country’s cultural heritage is crucial to its nationhood and is a source of pride and dignity. Archaeologists and those in the heritage community must now engage with the military and politicians to ensure sites, museums and artefacts are protected, or they have no right to complain when that cultural heritage is destroyed."
Professor Stone of Newcastle University, Fellow of the Society (FSA) and a member of the Culture Committee of the UK National Commission for UNESCO
Its opening in June coincides with the launch of the paper back edition of “The Destruction of Cultural Heritage in Iraq”, edited by Peter G Stone and Joanne Farchakh Bajjaly and published by Boydell & Brewer.
The Destruction of Cultural Heritage in Iraq
The Destruction of Cultural Heritage in Iraq was edited by Peter Stone, of Newcastle University’s International Centre for Cultural and Heritage Studies and Joanne Farchakh Bajjaly, an archaeologist and journalist from The Lebanon. The book contains 28 chapters from contributors from Iraq, Europe, and the United States of America. Many of these are personal stories of those who were, and continue to be, involved in the protection of the cultural heritage in Iraq. The book has been described as “an extraordinary achievement that will stand as the definitive account of the desperate, avoidable cultural tragedy of Iraq for many years to come” (THES) and as “mandatory reading for anyone who expresses an opinion about archaeologists and the invasion of Iraq” (British Archaeology). The hard back edition was published in April 2008 and this paper back edition was made possible by a grant from the British Institute for the Study of Iraq and was supported by the UK National Commission for UNESCO.WC2N 4HS
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The Catastrophe exhibit on display at the Society of Antiquaries