Archaeological Remains as Part of National Identity in Modern Iraqi History in the Period of King Faisal I Between 1920-1933
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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32410/huj-10543Keywords:
Culture identity, National identity, National Museums, Archaeological science, Archaeological excavationAbstract
Since the nineteenth century, archeology has been used to build and strengthen national identity, through archaeological studies that shed light on material archaeological remains such as palaces, temples, settlement sites such as villages and cities, as well as the machines and means that man used to meet his daily needs. Archaeological studies also shed light on intangible productions such as tales, stories, legends, and religious beliefs that have a pivotal role in defining geographical features and national identity. Hence the importance of antiquities, monuments, and archaeological materials in expressing cultural, regional, national, and international identity.
Archeology emerged as a branch of knowledge that has its early origins in Europe in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The search and excavation of antiquities in the Middle East were carried out by excavation teams done by amateurs, travelers, merchants, orientalists, high-ranking officers, and European consuls. They extracted artifacts in order to trade in them and benefit from them economically, without caring about the importance of those artifacts from a historical and archaeological point of view. This was at a time when Iraq was a newly established country, and the knowledge and interest in antiquities were not at the required level, and looking at them as a national identity, despite the fact that Mesopotamia is the cradle of human civilization.
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