| Popis: |
Since the 1950s large-scale dam projects have been carried out across the world. The archaeological component has varied greatly, even within some countries. In almost all cases the inauguration of these expensive infrastructure works has been celebrated nationally through media and visually on currency and postage stamps. The history of dams and archaeology is a rich but sometimes contentious mix of politics and opportunity. Ottoman authorities brought British engineers from India to advise on hydraulic measures in Egypt and it was at Aswan that the first rescue archaeology took place at the beginning of the twentieth century. The same engineers recommended other measures in Mesopotamia but, although the first steps were taken in Iraq then and under the British Mandate, it was only after nationalisation of the oil industry that they began to be seriously implemented. Egypt, Syria and Iraq looked to the Soviet Union and its leading dam design company, Institute Hydroproject. Turkey turned instead to European companies whereas Iran at first relied on America although both countries now use their own expertise. Despite the Cold War politics, international teams collaborated on the Nile, Euphrates and Tigris, and the results transformed understanding of Nubia, the neolithic and many other key periods, as well as the interconnection zones between regions previously regarded as heartlands of civilisation. After a brief review of the history of dam archaeology in the Middle East, this paper looks at the development of some of these projects in Iraq. |
