ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the history of imperial strategies of expansionism that have historically involved archaeologists and the use of archaeological remains to control new territories, to glorify empire, inform intelligence and military strategies, and secure colonies and provinces in the Near East. At the same time that one understand the ethical context surrounding the development of archaeology as an academic discipline, notes the formulation of international laws on conduct during warfare. In order to understand the role of archaeologists in the modern geopolitics of war in the Near East, it is imperative to understand how the facets of the metier came together in the mid-19th century. Peter Stone, chief executive officer of the World Archaeological Congress, advised military intelligence, as did Roger Matthews, former director of the British School of Archaeology in Iraq, who in return was offered a superior post in the coalition administration, as a cultural advisor to the Ministry of Culture.
