So far, officials have recovered 10 of the 42 items displayed in the public galleries and 3,000 of the 12,000 objects in storage, said Col. Matthew Bogdanos, the US Marine heading the investigation.
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Even though the mother lode was untouched, museum director George said the stolen pieces were valuable.
"One single piece is valued at 100 Mona Lisas," he said.
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Gazing at the Vase of Warka, tour guide Leuma Yas said the museum would try to put the pieces of the Sumerian vessel back together again. She recalled leading groups to look upon the vase, which once stood upright, as the highlight of her tour. She would use the vase, a ritual vessel, to recount the Sumerians' theory of life.
�Life begins with water,� she said, pointing to the base of the vase, and its carved water patterns. �Then the plants, the animals above, the human beings, and finally God.� But the tip of the vase denoting God lay fragmented, apart from the rest of the white limestone body.
Jordan Times July 4 2003
US administrator to Iraq Paul Bremer looks Thursday at a gold crown of the Treasures of Nimrod on display at Baghdad's National Museum. The US-led coalition briefly opened the doors of the museum to show-off the spectacular Treasures of Nimrod, an eighth century BC collection of jewels, anxious to dispel rumours that the treasure is missing.
ibid.
