ISIS and Antiquities: The Missing Pieces

Alex Joffe

History, Security, Terrorism, Middle East

The goal is not simply economic profit but psychological control.

Why does ISIS destroy and loot antiquities? Two explanations have been offered. This first is Islamic antipathy towards the pre-Islamic past. The second is that the group profits from selling looted antiquities. But there is a third and equally sinister reason that has barely been mentioned. Both destruction and looting comprise a system of social control over captive populations, a system that strives to regulate individual behavior down to the level of digging holes in the ground.

ISIS's ideological animosity is clear enough. It is loudly trumpeted in their propaganda videos that show the destruction of antiquities sites and museums. It is also patiently explained in their online magazine Dabiq, which taunted,

“the enemies of the Islamic State, who were furious at losing a ‘treasured heritage.’ The mujahidīn, however, were not the least bit concerned about the feelings and sentiments of the kuffar. . . The kuffar had unearthed these statues and ruins in recent generations and attempted to portray them as part of a cultural heritage and identity that the Muslims of Iraq should embrace and be proud of. Yet this opposes the guidance of Allah and His Messenger and only serves a nationalist agenda.”

These pronouncements make it clear that their motives are precisely Islamic and have excellent precedent. Those who claim that these actions somehow go against Islamic tenets or history are deluded. This iconoclasm is no different from ISIS’s punishments like amputation for theft or stoning women for adultery—or throwing gay men off of the roof, crucifying criminals or beheading enemies. ISIS explains this all very clearly.

But ISIS's profit motive is equally clear. Looting of sites and museums in Syria has skyrocketed since the start of the conflict. Government forces, anti-Assad rebels and Kurds are all involved, but ISIS introduced a level of organization and control that is unique. Satellite photos show neat rows of looting holes on archaeological sites in ISIS controlled territories.