Yale Bulletin and Calendar

February 8, 2008|Volume 36, Number 17

Protection of cultural heritage is focus
of ‘Iraq Beyond the Headlines IV’

A panel discussion on the role of the U.S. military in preserving the cultural heritage of Iraq will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 12, at 7 p.m. in Rm. 101, Linsly-Chittenden Hall, 63 High St.

This is the fourth event in a series titled “Iraq Beyond the Headlines,” launched in 2003. It is open to the public, free of charge.

The participants will be Laurie W. Rush, U.S. Army archaeologist, and Colonel Matthew Bogdanos, U.S. Marine Corps.

Rush, who became an Army archaeologist in 1998, will speak on “Protecting the Past to Secure the Future: In-Theater Heritage Training for Deploying Personnel.” Rush has expertise in identifying and documenting archaeological sites within Department of Defense properties. In the summer of 2007, she served as the archaeology planner for joint U.S.-Egyptian war games. For personnel deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan, she has developed training projects, including a deck of playing cards with images and captions that address cultural property issues relevant to those regions. Among her other honors and grants, Rush won the 2007 Crystal Award for Achievement in Federal Preservation.

Bogdanos will speak on “Thieves of Baghdad: The Looting of the Iraq Museum.” Since 1988, Bogdanos has been an assistant district attorney in Manhattan. He was recalled to active duty in the Marines in 2001. In April 2003, he initiated and led the investigation into the looting of the Iraq Museum, remaining in Baghdad until November 2003. Since returning to the district attorney’s office, he has worked independently to stop the global illegal antiquities trade. In addition to numerous military decorations and other awards, Bogdanos was given the 2005 National Humanities Medal. The royalties from his book, “Thieves of Baghdad,” published by Bloomsbury Press, all go to the Iraq Museum.

The panel moderator will be Karen Polinger Foster, lecturer in Near Eastern languages & civilizations and history of art.

“Iraq Beyond the Headlines IV” is sponsored by Yale’s Departments of Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations and Anthropology, the Program in Archaeological Studies, the Council on Middle East Studies of The MacMillan Center and the Yale Babylonian Collection.

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