The Westchester Society of the Archaeological Institute of America presents “BABYLON TODAY”, a fascinating presentation of the current work being done through international collaborative efforts to rehabilitate the site of Ancient Babylon in Iraq. Since 2004, the World Monuments Fund (WMF) has been working with the Iraq State Board of Antiquities and Heritage (SBAH) with the primary focus of the collaboration being the development of a site management plan for Babylon, one of the world's most important archaeological sites. The program will be presented by Ms. Lisa Ackerman and will take place at the Greenburgh Public Library, 300 Tarrytown Road, Elmsford, NY 10523.
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 18th-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.
Working with the SBAH, WMF assists in mapping the archaeological site, identifying essential conservation projects, planning for tourism management, and helping to begin the process of readying the site for local and international tourists, which will include the eventual reopening of the site's two museums. In addition to well publicized efforts of UNESCO and its ICC Sub-Committee on Babylon’s report on current conditions, the WMF is assisting in the necessary architectural and archaeological conservation work at the site. WMF personnel have been on site in Iraq a number of times in recent months so this program will include many images of the restoration and rehabilitation efforts at the site that have not been widely seen.
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