Destruction of Mosul Museum artifacts

[1] Artistically, the land of Iraq holds evidence of the switch from stylized and schematic figures to more realistic representations of the human form.

Writing evolved during this time period as well, allowing people to describe divine figures and conceptualize religion.

[2] Archaeological efforts uncovered evidence of Mesopotamia as a world contemporary with the Bible, with many stories on cuneiform tablets describing versions of similar biblical texts.

Because of a lack of visible architectural remains in the area, Mesopotamia, and Iraq in particular, are where the "treasure hunting" of old transformed into the beginnings of the real archaeological research we know today.

Archaeologists have been researching in Iraq for over a century and a half, lending us a great amount of time to truly understand the region's impact on those who live there and ultimately, the rest of the world.

[4] In a video shared on 26 February 2015, ISIL entered the Mosul Museum with the purpose of destroying artifacts they deemed "idolatrous".

The so-called Assyrians and Akkadians and others looked to gods for war, agriculture and rain to whom they offered sacrifices…The Prophet Mohammed took down idols with his bare hands when he went into Mecca.

[7] The Mosul Museum holds in its collection numerous bronze bands of the Balawat Gates, built during the reign of Ashurnasirpal II (883–859 BC).

Its significance is great, as its historical and archaeological record indicate it was a wealthy trading city, influenced heavily by its neighboring peoples and empires.

Hatra's artworks are of interest to scholars because they have been analyzed as hybrids of artistic styles from the West and East of the city.

For example, a Hatrene statue of a seated goddess is described as having drapery consistent with Buddhist style, while also having the large, protruding eyes typical of Mesopotamian works.

Additionally, sources have suggested that a portion of the artifacts shown being damaged in the video were in fact reproductions or reconstructions.