LAGASH: Archaeologists in southern Iraq have recovered the remains of a tavern dating back nearly 5,000 years – a finding they hope will shed further light on the lives of ordinary people in the world’s first cities.
The US-Italian team made the discovery in the ruins of ancient Lagash, northeast of the modern city of Nasiriyah, already regarded as one of the first urban centres of ancient Iraq’s Sumerian civilisation.
Joint team uncovered the remains
A joint team of archaeologists from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Pisa uncovered the remains of a primitive refrigeration system, benches for diners, a large oven and around 150 serving bowls.
Bones of fish and animals were found in the bowls, alongside evidence of beer drinking, which was common among the Sumerians.
The world’s first cities developed in what is now southern Iraq, following agricultural surpluses from the domestication of the first crops paved way for the emergence of new social classes not directly linked to food production.
Owing to its fertility, ancients dubbed the Lagash area, close to the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the “garden of the gods”.
Project director Holly Pittman told AFP the team was eager to further explore the occupations of the people who used the tavern in its peak time in around 2700 BC to throw new light on the social structure of the first cities.
The excavations were completed in November and a detailed analysis of the samples would be carried out. —AFP/APP
