"In this volume of powerful and important essays Zainab Bahrani bears witness to an ongoing and brutal chapter in Iraq’s history, and the constellations of imperial narratives and compounded injuries that actively participated in the 2003 Iraq War and its aftermath, continuing into the present."

Kim Benzel, Metropolitan Museum of Art

"Bahrani’s book reveals the long-lasting impact of the US and British invasion of Iraq, particularly its cultural destruction and cleansing. Her fieldwork and writing offer an erudite view, filling a critical gap in the study of Iraq's contemporary history. It is a must-read for students and scholars of Iraqi studies."

Tareq Ismael, University of Calgary

"Assembling reflections on the 2003 Iraq War and its aftermath, over a period of two decades, Zainab Bahrani deploys her deep knowledge of ancient Mesopotamia to shed light on the nature of modern warfare and its multi-sited confrontations with the material remains of the past. From university campuses to UNESCO, and from local sites of destruction to the global trade in illicit antiquities, this book offers a timely intervention delivered from a unique vantage point, in the eye of the storm."

David Wengrow, UCL