On the Loss of Historic Art

 - The War on Iraq and its effects on Art and Architecture -

My immediate reaction to just about any loss of historical artifacts, regardless of their origin and function, is generally some sort of sadness. For art and architecture specifically, I tend to feel a great sense of loss, as not only are such things irreplaceable, but they are things I usually value highly for their design and aesthetics. As well, it also seems very frustrating to me that such objects have survived for so long at this point, only to then be broken or lost or even destroyed entirely. There have been so many years and so many other opportunities in which they could have been taken away from humanity forever, and yet it only happens now, in a time which I almost feel like I could have had an affect on. Or at least, a time in which I had a greater chance of seeing and experiencing them than many of their peers that have been lost or damaged for centuries.

Even though I may not have seen the particular pieces that are in this case missing or affected from the areas in the Middle and Near East, I do have some familiarity with them from previous Art History and other classes. This means that I also feel like I have permanently lost that opportunity to see them as they were before being lost or damaged. It is not only me that has lost that same opportunity however, it is gone for everyone who ever wanted to see and learn about the history of Iraq, Iran, and other portions of the Middle East, it is lost to anyone who appreciates the art of peoples who existed incomprehensible amounts of time before us in the very same places that we are today, and many such pieces will never again have the opportunity to influence the lives of countless people and generations as they likely have done before.