Che Roriniho
07-24-2008, 22:14
Just found this on Wikipedia:
Effects of the U.S. military
US forces were criticised for building a helipad on ancient Babylonian ruins following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, under the command of General James T. Conway of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.
US forces have occupied the site for some time and have caused damage to the archaeological record. In a report of the British Museum's Near East department, Dr. John Curtis describes how parts of the archaeological site were levelled to create a landing area for helicopters, and parking lots for heavy vehicles. Curtis wrote that the occupation forces
"caused substantial damage to the Ishtar Gate, one of the most famous monuments from antiquity
US military vehicles crushed 2,600-year-old brick pavements, archaeological fragments were scattered across the site, more than 12 trenches were driven into ancient deposits and military earth-moving projects contaminated the site for future generations of scientists Add to all that the damage caused to nine of the moulded brick figures of dragons in the Ishtar Gate by soldiers trying to remove the bricks from the wall."
A US Military spokesman claimed that engineering operations were discussed with the "head of the Babylon museum".
The head of the Iraqi State Board for Heritage and Antiquities, Donny George, said that the "mess will take decades to sort out". In April 2006, Colonel John Coleman, former chief of staff for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, offered to issue an apology for the damage done by military personnel under his command. However he claimed that the US presence had deterred far greater damage from looters.
And then, as if this wasn't bad enough:
An article published in April 2006 states that UN officials and Iraqi leaders have big plans for restoring Babylon, making it a gem of a new Iraq as a cultural center complete with shopping malls, hotels, and perhaps a theme park: "One day millions of people will visit Babylon."
I'm sorry, but this destruction of what is arguably the most important archelogical site on the planet is utterly disgusting. I mean, even the early christians wouldn't destroy a city, and they are possibly the worst vandals in history.
What is it about that area that makes people want to destroy it? Baktra, Babylonia, Seleukia, the list goes on. What right do we have to destroy what our forefathers worked so hard for, indeed died for?
While this isn't an Anti-american rant, you can see from the above that they have done more than their fair share (mostly the military). I just wish they'd leave the middle east alone, and stop sticking their nose in. Iyt started with Israel, which is an illegal state, which was imposed on the people ofPalestine for no good reason other than to make life fair for the Jews, who admittedly had had it fairly hard for the past couple of thousand years, but that doesn't mean they can invade Palestine.
Then it was the Second Gulf war: a war that was not needed on any level, and was pushe through confgress without their permission by that stupid oik Dubya, a man so stupid, he thinks contitution can be made into a verb. Wanker.
But anyway, back to the OT, even the people who own these lands destroy them. Saddam Huissein attempted to rebuild Babylon. He failed in that, so he built his own zigurat. Wanker.
In afghanistan, the Taliban systematically destroye it's own country's heritage, most memorably with the destruction of the two Buddhas (forgotten the name), priceless beyond imagination, and some of the most documented of the ruins of the Indo-Greeks. Cheers.
AFAIK, the only country in the middle east (Feel free to correct me) that is looking after their heitage is the Iranians. yes, those people who Israel and the US are desperate to invade, despite the fact that they can barely keep the peace in their own countries, without having another 3 to babysit.
And the worse thing is, is that there is basically stuff all we can do about it. Not that I can see, anyway.
CHE RORINIHO
Effects of the U.S. military
US forces were criticised for building a helipad on ancient Babylonian ruins following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, under the command of General James T. Conway of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.
US forces have occupied the site for some time and have caused damage to the archaeological record. In a report of the British Museum's Near East department, Dr. John Curtis describes how parts of the archaeological site were levelled to create a landing area for helicopters, and parking lots for heavy vehicles. Curtis wrote that the occupation forces
"caused substantial damage to the Ishtar Gate, one of the most famous monuments from antiquity
US military vehicles crushed 2,600-year-old brick pavements, archaeological fragments were scattered across the site, more than 12 trenches were driven into ancient deposits and military earth-moving projects contaminated the site for future generations of scientists Add to all that the damage caused to nine of the moulded brick figures of dragons in the Ishtar Gate by soldiers trying to remove the bricks from the wall."
A US Military spokesman claimed that engineering operations were discussed with the "head of the Babylon museum".
The head of the Iraqi State Board for Heritage and Antiquities, Donny George, said that the "mess will take decades to sort out". In April 2006, Colonel John Coleman, former chief of staff for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, offered to issue an apology for the damage done by military personnel under his command. However he claimed that the US presence had deterred far greater damage from looters.
And then, as if this wasn't bad enough:
An article published in April 2006 states that UN officials and Iraqi leaders have big plans for restoring Babylon, making it a gem of a new Iraq as a cultural center complete with shopping malls, hotels, and perhaps a theme park: "One day millions of people will visit Babylon."
I'm sorry, but this destruction of what is arguably the most important archelogical site on the planet is utterly disgusting. I mean, even the early christians wouldn't destroy a city, and they are possibly the worst vandals in history.
What is it about that area that makes people want to destroy it? Baktra, Babylonia, Seleukia, the list goes on. What right do we have to destroy what our forefathers worked so hard for, indeed died for?
While this isn't an Anti-american rant, you can see from the above that they have done more than their fair share (mostly the military). I just wish they'd leave the middle east alone, and stop sticking their nose in. Iyt started with Israel, which is an illegal state, which was imposed on the people ofPalestine for no good reason other than to make life fair for the Jews, who admittedly had had it fairly hard for the past couple of thousand years, but that doesn't mean they can invade Palestine.
Then it was the Second Gulf war: a war that was not needed on any level, and was pushe through confgress without their permission by that stupid oik Dubya, a man so stupid, he thinks contitution can be made into a verb. Wanker.
But anyway, back to the OT, even the people who own these lands destroy them. Saddam Huissein attempted to rebuild Babylon. He failed in that, so he built his own zigurat. Wanker.
In afghanistan, the Taliban systematically destroye it's own country's heritage, most memorably with the destruction of the two Buddhas (forgotten the name), priceless beyond imagination, and some of the most documented of the ruins of the Indo-Greeks. Cheers.
AFAIK, the only country in the middle east (Feel free to correct me) that is looking after their heitage is the Iranians. yes, those people who Israel and the US are desperate to invade, despite the fact that they can barely keep the peace in their own countries, without having another 3 to babysit.
And the worse thing is, is that there is basically stuff all we can do about it. Not that I can see, anyway.
CHE RORINIHO