Heritage Preservation Cards : Afghanistan and Iraq

In 2007, as the US was mired in its Global War on Terror, Archaeology Magazine ran an article about the Pentagon issuing 40,000 decks of playing cards to educate soldiers on the conservation of archeological sites and artifacts in Iraq and Afghanistan, which had seen widespread looting and destruction in war’s wake. One deck was dedicated solely to Afghanistan, the other to both Afghanistan and Iraq.

These served a counterpart of sorts to the 2003 Iraqi Most Wanted cards, which had photos of prominent members of Saddam Hussein’s government who remained at large. Both sets of cards relied on soldiers’ love of card playing to enforce an idea. The Most Wanted deck’s message was – If you see this, grab it; the Heritage Preservation decks’ – If you see this, leave it alone. The Pentagon’s use of playing cards goes back to at least 1979 when the Army created decks to help identify military aircraft.

As a lover of both ancient history and playing cards, I had to get these. Unfortunately, unlike the widely available Most Wanted cards, the preservation decks were issued strictly to troops in the theater. It took me two years and a lot of begging of anyone I met with any connection to the military to finally get through to US Army archaeologist Laurie Rush (Ace of Hearts), the decks’ creator. Dr. Rush had the unenviable task of getting young American soldiers in the middle of insurgent-filled warzones to care about preserving what appear to be little more than piles of dirt to the untrained eye. She employed photos and simple messaging to generate awareness and build connections between the GIs and the history.

The Afghanistan deck’s joker is a 1st century AD carving of the perpetually tipsy Greek god Silenus while the backs feature a lovely 3rd century BC silver ceremonial plaque. The Iraq and Afghanistan deck has a disappointingly typical joker and a remarkably preserved cuneiform tablet on the back. Both decks also serve as jigsaw puzzles; the images on the cards’ borders form a larger picture.

The cards emphasize shared cultural and religious heritage by featuring things like the purported resting place of the prophet Jonah in Mosul, Iraq (Two of Clubs, Iraq deck). The Jack of Diamonds shows the Statue of Liberty with the blunt question of “How would we feel if someone destroyed her torch?” Lastly – and perhaps most importantly – the cards remind soldiers that protecting local shrines is crucial to winning hearts and minds; respecting that pile of dirt could help save your life. It’s hard to think of a more conscientious and worthier use of playing cards.