A new U.N. report reveals some disturbing news about a site of archaeological significance — the U.S. military did some rather extensive damage to Babylon when it was used as a base in Iraq in 2003 and 2004.

Babylon was one of the first civilizations on Earth, and a very cultured one at that. The Code of Hammurabi, the famous ancient code of law, originated in Babylon, although it’s now in the Louvre. And the city-state gave us one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World as well — the Hanging Gardens of Babylon (under the rule of Nebuchadnezzar, whose name I greatly enjoy saying).

The Ishtar Gate is one of the more well-known landmarks of Babylon. Adorned with glazed tiles and decorated with lions, dragons and wild oxen, the gate was dedicated to the goddess of the same name. The actual ruins of this site, a great archaeological discovery, are in a Berlin museum, so you can see the plundering started before ‘03. Saddam Hussein did some of his own damage to Babylon, when he very helpfully decided to make it into a theme park and built various reproductions on the ancient ground.

So after archaeologists, Saddam and looters have had their way, what does the U.N. report say about the military? The picture isn’t pretty from a historical standpoint: trenches, bulldozing, heavy trucks, helicopter pads and roads built on the fragile site; steel stakes in walls bearing Nebuchadnezzar’s inscriptions; sandbags containing pottery shards.

A representative from the military said that looting would have been worse had it not been for the troops.

Archaeologists say there may be a great deal more of Babylon lying undiscovered and unexcavated, and history-lovers would like for it to be designated as a World Heritage Site (if it can even be restored) to ensure its future protection and preservation. Here’s hoping.

More goodies:

How the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World Work
What’s so important about the Code of Hammurabi?
Were people vying to become slaves in the Ottoman Empire?