Recent Events
Arthur M. Berger Lecture
THIEVES OF BAGHDAD: ONE MARINE’S PASSION FOR ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS AND THE JOURNEY TO RECOVER THE WORLD’S GREATEST STOLEN TREASURES
10.03.2007
Matthew Bogdanos, Colonel, United States Marine Reserves and Assistant District Attorney, Manhattan, spoke about his book, Thieves of Baghdad: One Marine's Passion for Ancient Civilizations and the Journey to Recover the World's Greatest Stolen Treasures, on Wednesday, October 3, 2007, 7:30 p.m.
West Room, Reid Hall
When Baghdad fell in the spring of 2003, Colonel Matthew Bogdanos was in southern Iraq, tracking down terrorist networks through their financing and weapons smuggling. Upon hearing news of the devastating looting of the Iraq Museum, Bogdanos immediately set out across the desert with members of his task force, risking his career and his life in pursuit of Iraq's most priceless treasures. Their heroic efforts led to the recovery of more than 5,000 irreplaceable objects. In the course of their hunt for Iraq’s stolen cultural heritage, Bogdanos and his team exposed the sordid realities of the international antiquities market, and its financial connection to illegal arms trading.
Matthew Bogdanos has been an assistant district attorney in Manhattan since 1988. He holds a degree in classics from Bucknell University, advanced degrees in Classical Studies and law from Columbia University, and in Strategic Studies from the Army War College. A colonel in the Marine Reserves, he was recalled to active duty after September 11, 2001; he received a Bronze Star for counterterrorist operations in Afghanistan and served two tours in Iraq. Released back into the reserves in October 2005, he returned to the DA's Office and continues the hunt for stolen antiquities. On November 11, 2005, he was awarded a National Humanities Medal.
A reception and book signing in the French Parlor followed the lecture. Copies of Thieves of Baghdad by Matthew Bogdanos with William Patrick (Bloomsbury 2005) were available for purchase. Col. Bogdanos donated the book's royalties to the Iraq Museum for additional recoveries.
Arthur M. Berger Lecture
Arthur Berger was a life-long learner who, after retiring from a successful career in business, followed his passion for art by taking courses in the Art History department at Manhattanville. Upon his passing, his family and friends endowed a fund in his memory, which supports the annual Berger Lecture.