Friends and colleagues: The war that may soon begin in Iraq poses a very serious threat to the rich archaeological heritage of that country, whose early Mesopotamian civilizations profoundly influenced the course of human cultural development in much of the world over the past 5,000 years or more. To explore this topic and share with people everywhere an understanding of the urgency of the matter, we asked Dr. Samuel M Paley of the Department of Classics at the State University of New York at Buffalo to provide his perspectives in a telephone interview, entitled Iraq Archaeology and the Threat of War, which is the latest program featured on our public education website, The Archaeology Channel (www.archaeologychannel.org). The threat of war in Iraq has caused the Archaeological Institute of America to issue a statement (http://www.archaeological.org) urging that measures be taken to protect the archaeological heritage of that country. The AIA expresses concern regarding possible direct damage to sites, objects and institutions as well as the potential for looting of sites and museums. These concerns are shared by many archaeologists and others around the world, especially in the aftermath of the looting that took place in Iraq following the Gulf War. We believe that action taken now and in the future to safeguard Iraq's archaeological sites, monument, artifacts, and museums should be supported by all, regardless of positions held about the wisdom of going to war. This and other programs are available on TAC for your use and enjoyment. If you feel that this project is a worthy endeavor, please participate in our Membership (http://www.archaeologychannel.org/member.html) and Underwriting (http://www.archaeologychannel.org/sponsor.html) programs. Only with your help can we continue and enhance this nonprofit public-education and visitor-supported service. We also welcome new content partners as we reach out to the world community. Please forward this message to others who may be interested. Richard M. Pettigrew, Ph.D., RPA President and Executive Director Archaeological Legacy Institute http://www.archaeologychannel.org _________________________________________________________________ Add photos to your messages with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/featuredemail