Many people are surprised that we are excavating in Iraq. All the media reports are of disaster and of wanton vandalism by so-called ‘Islamic State’. Of course we deplore these acts of violence, and mourn the loss of beautiful artefacts and buildings. But these actions will not erase Iraq’s ancient heritage, because that is a matter of recorded fact, not just a collection of objects. Our best defence is to continue our research in the Ur region, to enhance the unfolding story of Iraq’s past, to find new items for the museums, and new reasons for Iraqis to be proud of a past that is common to all of them, regardless of recent origin or ethnic affiliation. Our mission is archaeology, not politics, but we believe that heritage is important to identity, and to the recovery of a nation ...
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