Confucius said: "Study the past if you would define the future." In Iraq, the past is glorious and long. This is where the world's first cities were built and where writing and organized government were first developed more than 5,000 years ago. This is the land that gave the world its first great literary work -- the Epic of Gilgamesh, king of the city of Uruk -- over 1,000 years before Homer, and over 2,000 years before Christ.
ISIS, like so many extremist groups through history, seeks to destroy the record of the past. In the past week, video has shown destroying archaeological objects in the Mosul Museum. Although there are suggestions that some objects destroyed are only copies, many are said to be unique objects that had survived thousands of years.
ISIS has been busy trying to damage the Nergal Gate entry to the ancient city of Nineveh -- a city with a history reaching back thousands of years -- and most recently it is reportedly bulldozing the site of Nimrud, capital of the 9th-century B.C. Assyrian King Ashurnasirpal II.
All attacks on archaeological sites and artifacts are attacks on our collective human memory. They deprive us of the evidence of human endeavors and achievements. Worse, these acts of destruction supposedly in the name of religion are dishonest: the same ISIS also is busy stealing archaeological sites to support its thriving illegal trade in antiquities, causing further great harm.
The heritage of Iraq is our heritage, too. What can we do in response to this assault on our heritage? Providing educational opportunities to learn more about their cultures and histories, and those of others, is one of the best ways to stop destructive hatred and violence.
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