on.
“Catastrophe!” does display superficial attempts by U.S. forces to hinder the looting and trade of antiquities. On display are playing cards produced by the Department of Defense that give U.S. soldiers visuals of Iraqi artifacts that have been stolen. A U.S. military poster lists the “Top 30” stolen artifacts from the Iraq National Museum. An executive order prohibiting the import and destruction of Iraqi antiquities was amended into U.S. customs law on April 30, 2008.
But the Oriental Institute seeks to build on the often inadequate protection of antiquities, advocating U.S. ratification of the 1954 Hague Convention. To complement U.S. customs law’s ban on imports, the convention is an internationally binding ban on the export of antiquities from Iraq. It also requires parties such as the U.S. to work with Iraqi authorities to protect archaeological sites. Visitors to the exhibit can sign letters to Senators Barack Obama and Dick Durbin urging the U.S. Senate to ratify the 1954 Hague Convention.
“I understand why this might not be considered a high priority. We are concerned about the lives being lost every day,” Emberling says. “But as an archaeologist, I think it’s necessary to take a long view of history and realize how this will be a loss for generations to come. Protecting antiquities requires a relatively small effort.”
“Catastrophe! The Destruction and Looting of Iraq’s Past,” shows at Oriental Institute Museum at The University of Chicago, 1155 East 58th, (773)702-9514, through December 31.