'Ancient Civilization ... Broken to Pieces'

April 8, 2008 / Add comment

The ancient treasures of Iraq are being decimated by amateur treasure hunters. Teams of looters, clumsily ransacking archaeological sites, have torn up an estimated 167 million square feet of land at sites where human beings first began to farm, etch words into clay, build cities, and write laws. Illegal diggers can plow through in a day what a coordinated, specialized team would take a month to excavate. Meanwhile, the Iraqi government offers rewards for returning items, though UNESCO fears this only encourages the looting. Zavis pens a detailed, thorough feature about one of the country's quieter tragedies.