Reclaiming a Plundered Past: Archaeology and Nation Building in Modern Iraq

349 Pages·2006·4.34 MB·English

by  Magnus T. Bernhardsson

i-xiv_bernhardsson_1570 9/6/05 7:40 PM Page i
RECLAIMING A PLUNDERED PAST
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
i-xiv_bernhardsson_1570 9/6/05 7:40 PM Page iii
RECLAIMING A PLUNDERED PAST
Archaeology and Nation Building in Modern Iraq
MAGNUS T. BERNHARDSSON
i-xiv_bernhardsson_1570 9/6/05 7:40 PM Page iv
Copyright © 2005by the University of Texas Press
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
First edition, 2005
Requests for permission to reproduce material from this work should be sent to:
Permissions
University of Texas Press
P.O. Box 7819
Austin, TX 78713-7819
www.utexas.edu/utpress/about/bpermission.html
∞The paper used in this book meets the minimum requirements
of ansi/niso z39.48-1992(r1997) (Permanence of Paper).
library of congress cataloging-in-publication data
Bernhardsson, Magnus Thorkell.
Reclaiming a plundered past : archaeology and nation building in modern
Iraq / Magnus T. Bernhardsson. — 1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 0-292-70947-1(cloth : alk. paper)
1. Excavations (Archaeology)—Iraq—History—20th century. 2. Iraq—
Antiquities. I. Title.
ds70.b37 2005
935'.0072'0569—dc22
2005018747
i-xiv_bernhardsson_1570 9/6/05 7:40 PM Page v
TO MARGARET
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
i-xiv_bernhardsson_1570 9/6/05 7:40 PM Page vii
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
CHAPTER ONE
Early Excavations in Mesopotamia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
CHAPTER TWO
World War I and the British Occupation
(1900–1921). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
CHAPTER THREE
From Mesopotamia to Iraq: Politics during the Mandate
(1921–1932). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
CHAPTER FOUR
Mandated Archaeology: The Creation of the Museum and
the Vibrant Archaeological Scene (1921–1932) . . . . . 130
CHAPTER FIVE
Independent Nation—Independent
Archaeology (1932–1941). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Works Consulted. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
i-xiv_bernhardsson_1570 9/6/05 7:40 PM Page ix
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
O
ne of the many joys of publishing a book is to publicly
acknowledge the people and institutions who made this
project possible. The book started at Yale University as a
doctoral dissertation, which I completed in 1999. To my advisor and
mentor, Professor Abbas Amanat, I owe the greatest debt of gratitude.
His creative and insightful intellect, warm personality, generosity, and
relentless enthusiasm were a constant inspiration that made this project
worthwhile and enjoyable. He initially suggested this topic, and his
sharp and artistic historical erudition greatly aided its development
from a mere idea, into a dissertation, and finally into a book. I am truly
fortunate to have him as my constant critic, role model, and friend.
In addition, I am grateful to the other members of my dissertation
committee. Professor Benjamin R. Foster’s vigorous, yet constructive,
criticism and intellectual wisdom helped me formulate my own think-
ing about this project. I have also benefited from the reliable advice of
Professor Frank M. Turner, who seems to have read everything by and
about the Victorians.
I would also like to thank numerous other people in the Yale com-
munity: Ulla Kasten of the Yale Babylonian Collection; Simon Samoeil
of Yale’s Sterling Memorial Library; Lamin Sanneh at Yale Divinity
School; Maryam Sanjabi; and those who were fellow graduate students
at the time, such as Shahzad Bashir, Ahmed al-Rahim, Roger Kenna,
Amir Arsalan Afkhami, Michael Rubin, Joshua Kronen, Heidi Walcher,
and Arash Khazeni.
While I was conducting my doctoral research and while I was revis-
ing this book for publication, I was much enlightened by stimulating
and informative conversations with Professor P. R. S. Moorey (Oxford