The 2003 U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq has spawned some
seemingly improbable headlines, like “U.S. establishes base on
Babylon” and “U.S. hands back Ur”. Upon reading such titles, I
envisioned the army traveling back in time to attack the pagan
king Nebuchadnezzar at his Hanging Gardens or helping God
himself topple the Tower of Babel. Though Babylon and Ur have
been abandoned for millenia, and long ago fell into ruin,
Western culture still reveres the biblical-era myths and stories
set in these cities. Of course, Babylon and Ur aren’t just
notable for their antiquity or their place in Western mythology.
These sites are located in the alluvial plains of Iraq, in the
path of modern human migration out of Africa – this area has
seen untold centuries of human movement and occupation. As every
schoolchild knows (or should know), they are the likely
birthplace of many human “firsts,” including agriculture,
writing, and the wheel. Sites and artifacts in this region don’t
just represent one culture, they repr