Looted Relics Returned to Iraqi Museum

[Rose Siding]

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Several hundred ancient artifacts stolen from the Iraqi Museum during the wave of looting that hit Baghdad after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime have been returned to the museum, officials said Tuesday.

snip>

According to Iraq's minister of culture, Mofeed Al-Jazaeri, those pieces, which consisted mainly of cylinder seals that come from different periods, were smuggled outside Iraq, but were bought and brought to the country by members of the Italian institute.

Thousands of relics were looted from the museum in the chaos after U.S. troops entered the Iraqi capital. The looting and destruction in April triggered deep criticism of U.S. forces both in Iraq and abroad. Museum curators and archaeologists worldwide said the United States should have protected the precious treasures, dating to the earliest days of settled human history.

Al-Jazaeri said that Iraqi authorities were able to recover only 4,000 of the 14,000 treasures thought to have been looted after the fall of Baghdad. He said that preliminary steps have been taken to form a 2,000-member force to protect Iraq archaeological sites from looting.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-antiquity,0,7138269.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines

This doesn't seem too earth shaking but I'm posting it because of an impression I've picked up from TV reports. Several have mentioned that nearly all the artifacts have been returned or that not as many as thought had been taken.

Here, Iraq's minister of culture says that 10,000 treasures ARE still missing.

[JailBush]

1. This story is as all over the map as Jessica Lynch.

How can a museum lose nearly all its antiquities, then have them all returned? How can it lose its treasures one week, then report no losses the next week, followed by a week when it's claimed the losses are priceless?

It sounds to me like someone is stealing things from this museum and returning them every other week, just to keep this story alive.

[Whoa_Nelly]

2. Seems this news

is more spin, as were the other articles in the last few months that the antiquities were "found" or "returned". I think the original news of the antiquities that were looted from the museums was another spin farce to provoke more hatred toward Iraqis. Funny how some of the pieces turned up in possession of reporters and returning GIs.

Earlier story link:
(June 18, 2003)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,979734,00.html

[MrPrax]

3. One presumes we will hear...

a lot more 'nothing to worry about folks' drop-quotes from Mofeed Al-Jazaeri anytime you see a story like
Artefacts looted from the Baghdad museum following the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime have been recovered in London, police have confirmed for the first time.

The discovery of the items follows enduring images from the museum of smashed display cases, empty vaults and crying staff, when reporters gained access for the first time.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3249893.stm

Smugglers would be wise to re-locate to the US, there doesn't seem to be as much of an agressive push to recover the items

[DebJ]

4. freaky story for me because my friend predicted the raid b4 the war

even started. Back in February, he said that the museum relics would be stolen. Of particular interest to his pursuit of ancient and current history are those little cylinders, and the symbolism they contain. I'm sure when he hears that some have been returned, he will doubt that the original items in original condition have been returned.