ANCIENT ARTIFACTS HOLD HIGH VALUE

Blackanthem Military News, KIRKUK, Iraq, January 26, 2006 13:23

The discovery of ancient artifacts has created another connection between American Soldiers and the citizens of Iraq. Soldiers of the 451st Civil Affairs Battalion returned a collection of historical items found on Forward Operating Base (FOB) Warrior over the past few months, to the community of Kirkuk, Iraq.

The artifacts may appear to be just broken pieces of formed clay to some, but to Ayad T. Hussein, the Civil Engineer Director of the Kirkuk Museum, they hold great value in the history of the Iraqi culture.

"If we have all the pieces then we can carefully put them back together," commented Hussein. "We can send them to Baghdad to be fixed and further examined."

According to Hussein and his assistant, the most valuable item discovered is a child burial urn of which they believe dates back to 250 B.C. They explained that when children passed away, they would first be cremated and then their ashes would be placed inside the urn as part of a proper burial. Although this tradition is no longer practiced among the Iraqi people, Hussein believes it to be a priceless link to history that can be shared with the present generation of Iraqis.

According to Cpt. Cole Calloway, the Team Chief for the Civil Affairs Team A, the Kirkuk Museum suffered from looting by vandals after the first Gulf War and has not fully recovered yet. There are many display cases that sit empty gathering dust waiting to be filled with historical artifacts for the people of Kirkuk to learn and possibly relate to.

"We are hoping that the artifacts we hand over will help the museum reestablish itself," Calloway commented optimistically. "Iraq is rich in ancient culture, and we are trying to allow the people to appreciate it more."

Calloway, who has a degree in anthropology, volunteered to be the cultural affairs officer upon arrival to Iraq. His background and degree gave Calloway a unique perspective on his deployment to Iraq, making it a learning experience and a chance to give back to his profession.

Callaway says his goal is to hand over every artifact found on the base to the community. But it is not as simple as it sounds. Once the artifacts are discovered they must be taken to the "relics room" under care of the Air Force Legal Office, where each individual piece, regardless of size, is logged to indicate when and where it was found before being put into storage.

The artifacts are then slowly handed over to the Kirkuk Museum, where they will possibly go on display depending on their cultural significance.

Although handing over these pieces of history may only be one step towards restoring the museum, in the end, it is sharing the history of Iraq with all.

"Civilization cannot be built by one person," commented Hussein’s assistant. "But by this we can find a part of the old history of Iraq."

By: Spc. Barbara Ospina
1st BCT Public Affairs

ADDITIONAL PHOTO:

A Civil Engineer and Director of the Kirkuk Museum, Ayad Hussein, and his assistant examine historical artifacts that were discovered on FOB Warrior. All of the artifacts are in the process of being handed over the museum to display for all Iraqis too see and learn from. (U.S. Army Photo By: Spc. Barbara Ospina, 1st BCT Public Affairs)