FORT DRUM — Pfc. Christopher Pape wasn't in his usual training sessions on keeping roadways free of improvised explosive devices Tuesday.

Instead of identify and destroy, Pfc. Pape and his mates in the 7th Engineer Battalion were being taught to identify and preserve. The subject wasn't artillery; it was antiquity.

Iraq is the cradle of civilization, the birthplace of the biblical Abraham and the purported site of the great flood that wiped out everything but Noah's ark. It was where the Babylonians and Assyrians had empires, where Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan ruled. The country also will be home to most in the 7th Engineer Battalion come June.

"There's hardly an area in Iraq that isn't part of an ancient settlement," said C. Brian Rose, president of the Archeological Institute of America, Boston.

The artifacts preserved below ground are attractive not only to archeologists, but to looters. A whole cuneiform tablet or a stone cylinder seal could fetch top dollar on the black market.

Lacking archeologists in Iraq protecting these sites, Mr. Rose made his appeal to the 500 soldiers listening to his talk at the Post Chapel.

"We're watching history disappear before our eyes," said Mr. Rose, an archeology professor at the University of Pennsylvania. "This now rests on your shoulders. The protection of everything you see today is your responsibility, because we can't do it anymore."

Pfc. Pape, who has an interest in ancient cultures, appeared up for the challenge. The soldier, part of the 630th Clearance Company, considered the talk an extension of the lessons he's learned about respecting Iraqi culture and traditions.

He also said he believed Iraq could eventually enhance its tourism business, as nearby Egypt has, through these historical sites.

"It would be a way to have a viable, stable income for the economy," the solider said. "As long as they can keep it safe for the tourists, I think it could be a good idea."

While cultural awareness training may be standard protocol for deploying soldiers, Lt. Col. Christopher J. Barron said building awareness about how to treat artifacts wasn't always stressed.

"One of the things that I'm quite pleased about is the leadership of the Army making this a priority," said Col. Barron, the 7th Engineer Battalion commander. "I don't think this would have happened 15 years ago."

Col. Barron said he believed his soldiers, many of whom have never been deployed, were learning "about the potential ripple effects for a simple good deed," such as protecting a ruin made of mud brick or an ancient statue.

The battalion commander said the lessons were an extension of the Army's "strategic soldier" concept, in which men and women on duty are taught that there are positive and negative consequences to every action, all of which can help or harm the mission.

The 7th Engineer Battalion soldiers will have a practical use of Tuesday's lesson when they are sent this summer to Iraq's central and northern regions for a 12-month tour. Besides route clearing, Col. Barron said the group is responsible for some construction and for partnering and training with Iraqi engineers.

The battalion is a tenant unit at Fort Drum. It is attached to the 20th Engineer Brigade, which has headquarters at Fort Bragg, N.C.