Vandalism by troops and a 'potentially permanent' base

Honestly, I'm not sure which part of this story bothers me more - that US troops have apparently vandalized the ancient ruins of the city of Ur or that the Pentagon is building a "potentially permanent" base near there.

They claim that US forces have spray-painted the remains with graffiti and stolen kiln-baked bricks made millennia ago. As a result, the US military has put the archaeological treasure, which dates back 6,000 years, off-limits to its own troops. Any violations will be punishable in military courts.

[...]

Ur is believed by many to be the birthplace of the prophet Abraham. It was the religious seat of the civilisation of Sumer at the dawn of the line of dynasties which ruled Mesopotamia starting about 4000 BC. Long before the rise of the Egyptian, Greek or Roman empires, it was here that the wheel was invented and the first mathematical system developed. Here, the first poetry was written, notably the epic Gilganesh, a classic of ancient literature.

The most prominent monument is the best preserved ziggurat - stepped pyramid - in the Arab world, initially built by the Sumerians around 4000 BC and restored by Nebuchadnezzar II in the sixth century BC.

The Pentagon has elected to build its massive and potentially permanent base right alongside the site, so that the view from the peak of the ziggurat - more or less unchanged for 6,000 years - will be radically altered.

Obviously, we've not consulted with the Iraqi people about how they might feel about a "potentially permanent" base in their country - we're barely consulting with them on what kind of a government they want. It seems to me that setting up a government should be more of a priority than building a base for the Pentagon, and the idea that our own soldiers have been vandalizing - well, honestly, anything - but such an ancient and important site as the city of Ur is completely unacceptable.

Posted by thorswitch at May 19, 2003 01:01 PM | TrackBack