The war with Iraq could threaten some of humanity's oldest artifacts and archaeological sites. The region includes the ancient land of Mesopotamia -- the birthplace of writing, the wheel, the plow, and the first code of law. Eva Von Dassow A-vuh vaughn-DASS-oh is a professor of ancient Near Eastern history at the University of Minnesota. She says that if the 1991 Gulf War is any indication, the area's cultural history may be threatened as much by looters as it is by bombs.