[MSN] COLORADO STATE RESEARCHERS CREATE ARCHAEOLOGICAL PLAYING CARDS FOR TROOPS IN IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN

[Museum Security Network Mailing list]

For Immediate Release
Tuesday, October 30, 2007 

Contact for Reporters:
Kimberly Sorensen
(970) 491-0757
Kimberly.Sorensen at colostate.edu


COLORADO STATE RESEARCHERS CREATE ARCHAEOLOGICAL PLAYING CARDS FOR TROOPS IN
IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN

Note to Editors: Downloadable, print-quality photos of the playing cards are
available with the news release at http://newsinfo.colostate.edu/ or contact
Kimberly Sorensen. 

FORT COLLINS - A Colorado State University researcher and graphic artist
have developed playing cards with messages on how American soldiers serving
in Iraq and Afghanistan can help preserve precious antiquities. The project
with the U.S Department of Defense is part of a cultural heritage awareness
program.

The goal of the cards is to prevent any unnecessary damage to ancient sites
and to curb the illegal trade of stolen artifacts in Iraq.

Nearly 50,000 decks of cards, weighing more than 10,000 pounds, are stored
in a Loveland, Colo., warehouse where they will be shipped to troops in Iraq
and Afghanistan as well as training installations around the United States. 

"The Defense Department's concern over the issue of cultural heritage
preservation began with the initial invasion of Iraq in 2003 when the
ancient site of Babylon was inadvertently damaged by the U.S. military and
the Iraq Museum in downtown Baghdad was looted," said James Zeidler, senior
research scientist in the university's Center for Environmental Management
of Military Lands, or CEMML.

"These cards are part of a larger cultural awareness training package that
will help our armed forces avoid inadvertent damage to sensitive
archaeological sites and help curb illegal looting and antiquities
trafficking in the war zone," he said. 

Each card in the deck displays an artifact or site and gives a tip on how to
avoid causing damage to historic and archaeological sites.  

The five of clubs, for example, says "Drive around, not over, archaeological
sites." Other cards warn against digging if ancient artifacts or
architectural remains are encountered.

A message at the top of all cards states "ROE first!" notifying soldiers
that the military's Rules of Engagement - strict operational rules for
engaging the enemy and protecting one's safety and health - precede all
other considerations. 

Each suit in the deck has a theme for its messages: diamonds for artifacts
and treasures, spades for historic sites and archaeological digs, hearts for
"winning hearts and minds" and clubs for heritage preservation. 

CEMML graphic artist Tracy Wager worked with Zeidler to create all of the
graphics for the cards. In addition to displaying images and messages on
each playing card, Wager made each card a piece to a puzzle as a way to get
the soldiers to look at the messages. 

In the background of each card is a piece of a graphic which when placed in
the correct formation completes the image. Each suit has its own image. For
example, the suit of hearts creates the image of an historic illustration of
the Northwest Palace Throne Room at the ancient site of Nimrud, Iraq. The
puzzles reinforce the idea that each artifact and each archaeological site
forms an important piece of the cultural history puzzle. 

This project was sponsored by the U.S. Defense Department's Legacy Resource
Management Program through funding awarded to Laurie Rush,
archaeologist-in-residence at Fort Drum, the headquarters for the Army's
10th Mountain Division in New York. Rush is developing a range of cultural
awareness training products for the Department of Defense and asked Zeidler
and Wager to be responsible for the design and production of the playing
cards. Several CEMML research associates work in the Cultural Resources
Program at Fort Drum with Rush and provided assistance, as did Roger Ulrich
and students from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. 

As part of the same project, Zeidler and Wager created soldier pocket cards
for American troops, with tips on how to recognize and preserve cultural
heritage sites. Another CEMML consultant is developing an informational Web
site on cultural heritage preservation for the Department of Defense. 

Rush's project was recently awarded the Chairman's Award for Federal
Achievement in Historic Preservation by the Advisory Council on Historic
Preservation in Washington, D.C. 

CEMML is a research and service unit within the Warner College of Natural
Resources at Colorado State. The center supports the national defense
mission by providing professional services and technical support to the U.S.
Department of Defense in conservation, environmental planning and natural
and cultural resources management. 

The playing cards are strictly intended for educational use by the
Department of Defense and are not for sale commercially.

http://newsinfo.colostate.edu/