The erasure of heritage objects and the threat to material culture in the Middle East, particularly due to ongoing wars and conflicts, represents a profound loss to both regional and global history. These objects are not just remnants of the past; they embody the identities, memories, and traditions of civilisations that have shaped human progress. The deliberate and collateral destruction of ancient sites, artifacts, and cultural institutions erases centuries of knowledge, disconnects communities from their heritage, and destabilises the cultural continuity necessary for future generations to understand their roots and shared human legacy.
Telling the stories of stolen objects matters, it is our way of remembrance of heritage that is lost or in jeopardy. Here, I recount the story of the theft and return of the Mask of Warqa.
Date: 3100 BC
Provenance: Uruk, modern day Warka, bed of the Euphrates River
Ownership Trajectory 1) Unearthed in Uruk by the German Archeological Institute in Iraq in 1939
2) Stored in the National Museum of Iraq 1939-2003
3) Stolen from the museum in April 2003
4) Returned to the National Museum of Iraq in September 2003
Present Location: Iraq National Museum, Baghdad, Iraq
Type of Artefact: Mask
Classification: Sculpture
Geographies Iraq, City of Uruk (modern-day Warka), Middle East
Historical Value Ancient relic belonging to one of the earliest civilisations in the world, Sumer of Mesopotamia
Culture Sumerian art (c. 4500 – c. 1900 BC)
Medium Marble
Dimensions 20 cm, height
Credit Line Image in the public domain, acquired from:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:UrukHead.jpg
Displacement reason Looting, collateral damage of war
Historical Context War, US-invasion of Iraq 2003, conflict area, vulnerable site
Status Restituted
Restitution Process Local and American investigative teams were able to locate the mask after receiving information from various locals
Restitution arguments Return of stolen artefact acquired illegally from the Iraq National Museum, a vulnerable site in 2003;
Safeguarding cultural heritage and countering the illicit trafficking of art and antiquities in conflict and post-conflict zones.
Context
In April 2003, as the city of Baghdad wrestled with the chaos of the US-led invasion, “The Mask of Warka,” an ancient Sumerian relic was looted. The mask was recovered in September 2003 and the priceless artefact was subsequently restored to the Iraq National Museum.
Text (500 words)
In April 2003, the Iraq National Museum was stripped of around 15,000 cultural objects through the systemic theft and looting which exploited the security vacuum created by the US-led invasion in Iraq. Among the items was “The Mask of Warka,” an ancient relic belonging to the Sumerian civilisation. The mask dates back to 3100 BC and is considered the earliest known sculptural rendition of the human face, thus carrying substantial existential and artistic significances. The looting of the Iraq National Museum and the ensuing theft of thousands of artefacts became one of the most lamentable consequences of US insurgences in Iraq, or Mesopotamia, one of the oldest civilisation in the world.
The Mask of Warka depicts a female face, earning its other appellation as “The Lady of Uruk.” The sculpture, approximately 20 cm tall, is made of white marble and depicts an ethereal oval face with empty eye sockets that may have once housed lapis lazuli stones. It is generally believed to have been made in the likeness of the Sumerian Goddess, Inanna, deity of love, fertility, and war, one of the most sacred symbols of Mesopotamia. The head is admired for its unique beauty and mysterious countenance. Contemporary viewers would be faced with an early representation of human features and an emotive display of a vacant gaze.
The sculpture was initially discovered in 1939 by the German Archeological Institute in Baghdad and is regarded as one of Iraq’s most cherished antiquities. Since 1939 and until the pillage in 2003, the mask had been stored in the Iraq National Museum in Baghdad.
In anticipation of acts of looting and destruction associated with armed conflict, the museum team had removed and safely stored around 8,000 artefacts before the onset of war in Iraq. Yet, as one of the most renowned relics of the ancient world, the mask, along other art objects, had been the target of art thieves doing the bidding of international art collectors with an appetite for ancient antiquities. A US investigative team and the Iraqi police were able to recover the mask after receiving tips from local individuals. In September 2003, the mask was finally found in a farm in North Baghdad and was unearthed from a shallow dirt grave where it was unceremoniously buried in a plastic bag. The restitution of the mask was achieved in part through the agility and responsiveness of local civilians, highlighting the integral role of patrimony in safeguarding cultural objects and heritage in vulnerable sites and dispute areas.
The theft and return of “The Mask of Warka” spotlights the need for cultural heritage protection in conflict zones. While the mask was recovered undamaged, many artefacts which were removed from the museum, including an ancient plaque known as “The Lioness Attacking a Nubian,” were never returned and still remain missing to date. In the context of the Middle East, and due to recent and ongoing unrest in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Libya, art and heritage crimes have become a prevalent phenomenon jeopardising the cultural history of these civilisations.
REFERENCES
Barker, Craig. “Fifteen Years After Looting, Thousands of Artefacts are Still Missing from Iraq’s National Museum”. The Conversation, April 9, 2018. https://theconversation.com/fifteen-years-after-looting-thousands-of-artefacts-are-still-missing-from-iraqs-national-museum-93949. Accessed 16 March, 2022.
Benger, Robin. Dir. Robbing the Cradle of Civilization: The Looting of Iraq’s Ancient Treasures. 2003.
Bogdanos, Matthew. “The Casualties of War: The Truth about the Iraq Museum.” American Journal of Archaeology, 109.3, 2005, pp. 477–526.
FURTHER READINGS
Bogdanos, Matthew and William Patrick. Thieves of Baghdad: One Marine’s Passion for Ancient Civilizations and the Journey to Recover the World’s Greatest Stolen Treasures. New York, NY: Bloomsbury, 2005.
Polk, Milbry and Angela M. H Schuster. The Looting of the Iraq Museum, Baghdad: the Lost Legacy of Ancient Mesopotamia. New York, NY: Harry N. Abrams, 2005.
Rothfield, Lawrence. The Rape of Mesopotamia: Behind the Looting of the Iraq Museum. Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 2009.