Cultural Losses in the Cradle of Civilization

I can't help but write about the war...it's on my mind. Especially the news that the Iraqi National Museum was looted--everything that could be carried out is now gone. This not just a loss for the Iraqi people, this is a loss to humanity. This museum housed 20 centuries-worth of antiquities from the dawn of civilization. I didn't see a lot of press coverage about this, and I think Rumsfeld brushed it off, saying that museum staff may have already hidden away the valuables, but even the vaults of the museum were broken and looted. I don't think that most people realize the gravity of situations like this. What do the Iraqi people have left to care about/be proud of?