Project

Babylon represents one of the most important archaeological sites in the world. Babylon’s fame extends beyond the fact that the site dates to a time more than 4,000 years ago. Babylon achieved military fame, was the capital of a vast ancient empire, and contributed greatly to our knowledge of the ancient world through the study of the Code of Hammurabi, an eighteenth-century B.C. (...)

Babylon represents one of the most important archaeological sites in the world. Babylon’s fame extends beyond the fact that the site dates to a time more than 4,000 years ago. Babylon achieved military fame, was the capital of a vast ancient empire, and contributed greatly to our knowledge of the ancient world through the study of the Code of Hammurabi, an eighteenth-century B.C. set of laws by which the society was ruled. Babylonia was a prosperous land and the remains today give scholars great insight into the sophisticated world in which Babylon was created and thrived.

An integral aspect of the Future of Babylon project is the need to strengthen the capacity of the SBAH to manage Iraq’s cultural heritage. Training in digital scanning is just one facet of capacity building, and, in 2010, WMF sponsored two digital scanning training sessions with the SBAH and CyArk. The first was from February 13 to 20, when CyArk representatives and Jeff Allen, WMF consultant, traveled to Babylon to scan digitally the Ishtar Gate and Nabu-sha-Khare Temple and provide field-based training. CyArk representatives presented an introduction to scanning and the documentation process and demonstrated equipment assembly to local authorities representing Babylon and al-Hillah. Staff members were exposed to the various stages of documentation and were enthusiastic at the potential of digital scanning. In addition to the two main structures, scans were made of well-conserved bull and dragon décor motifs as examples of good conservation activities. The SBAH’s enthusiasm for digital scanning led to the second session held at CyArk’s headquarters in Oakland, California from September 13 to24. Two SBAH representatives participated in a training course in digital preservation that provided them with tools and data they will use for condition assessments at Babylon. Gina Haney, WMF consultant, also participated in the training.