دوافع الاهتمام الغربي بالتنقيب عن الأثار العراقية في القرنين التاسع عشر والعشرين (دراسة تاريخية)

Abstract

This critical historical study focuses on the Western expeditions that arrived in Mesopotamia during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries to carry out excavations and recover Iraqi antiquities. The study seeks to identify the motives behind the West’s interest in undertaking archaeological research and excavations during those two periods, as well as the ideas and principles guided by Western researchers. It also aims to analyse the political circumstances that influenced the course of foreign expeditions to Iraq. The problem addressed by this study stems from the prevalence of a misguided interpretation of traditional historical writings, which have overlooked the political dimensions of excavation operations in Mesopotamia; these writings have led to the perception that archaeological excavation was merely a scientific passion for exploration on the part of the West. Hence, this study has been undertaken to shed light on the hidden truths regarding archaeological excavations, particularly in terms of the religious ideas, objectives and geopolitical interests pursued by the colonial powers. This study aims to provide researchers with up-to-date critical documentation enabling them to understand the history of Mesopotamia, focusing on the plundering of ancient historical artifacts, which evolved from the scattered and unorganised consular methods of the nineteenth century to a systematic, institutionalised approach under occupation in the twentieth century, when strict laws such as the ‘Division Law’ were imposed. The study indicates that the Western approach contributed to the establishment of a discipline known as ‘Assyriology’, and that this discipline resulted in the destruction of archaeological sites, forced displacement and the erasure of the memory of Mesopotamia. The study recommends the need for sustained critical review to deconstruct the colonial narratives established by ‘genealogy’, the discipline of archaeology in the ancient Near East.