The discovery of a 5,000-year-old Sumerian "bar" in southern Iraq
American and Italian archaeologists discovered a Sumerian tavern in southern Iraq, dating back about 5,000 years.
Away from the luxurious lifestyle of the kings and religious elites of that time, what interests the archaeologists of the American University of Pennsylvania and their counterparts from the Italian University of Pisa who work on a cheating site are the diaries of ordinary people at that time.
5,000 years ago, the city of Lagash was closely linked to neighboring cities and states such as Girsu and Negin, which were important political and religious centers of the Sumerian civilization , and knew their peak of prosperity during the period of ancient dynasties between 2900 BC and 2334 BC.
The bar that was discovered dates back to 2700 BC, as Holly Pittman, who manages the project for the archaeological mission in Lagash, explains to AFP.
cooling system
Bateman points to the existence of a cooling system "consisting of a jar surrounded by large pots of earthenware disassembled and assembled on top of each other", which is believed to have served as an earthenware refrigerator .
He also found 150 cooking pots, "which were filled with food, and fish and animal bones were found in them," according to the researcher.
Bateman adds that "cups that appear to have been used to sip beer" were also found, which is "a more popular drink among the Sumerians than water."
The archaeological site of the Sumerian tavern (AFP)
Pittman explains that this restaurant was composed of an indoor and outdoor space, in addition to seating and an oven to cook food.
"The site is considered the largest in the country and the Middle East, with an area of about 25 square kilometres," said Shamil Ibrahim, an inspector of antiquities and heritage in Dhi Qar Governorate in southern Iraq.
A country wracked by conflict
Iraq is the cradle of the Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian and Assyrian civilizations that enriched humanity with a number of things, especially writing, from which the first cities emerged.
With the return of relative stability in recent years, and despite the deterioration of the infrastructure, Iraq began, albeit timidly, to open its doors to international tourism, and archaeological missions coming from the United States and Europe resumed their work, announcing from time to time some new discoveries.
Researchers are still working to understand the relationship of the city of Lagash with its surroundings, especially with Girsu, where a temple is dedicated to the Sumerian god "Nengirsu", the god of spring, rain, plowing and plowing.
Agriculture and animal husbandry
"The city of Lagash is one of the important cities located in the south of the country," explains the Iraqi antiquities prospector Baqir Azhab Wali, who works alongside the foreign excavators at the site, adding that "its residents depended on agriculture, animal husbandry or fishing, as well as the exchange of goods within the borders of this region or outside it.”
Researcher Holly Bateman points to the presence of a large number of pottery workshops with kilns, which leads to the belief that Lagos was an "important center for large-scale craft production".
And she mentions that "the first cities appeared in southern Mesopotamia," adding that "there are a number of things we still don't know about that era of the rise of cities."
Determine the characteristics of neighborhoods
Bateman believes that the pub, which was discovered during the fall of 2022, will shed light on "new information regarding that period of time."
The researcher explains that the team hopes to "be able to identify the characteristics of the neighborhoods, the nature of the work, and the characteristics of the residents who lived in this large city and did not form part of the elite."
"Most of the work on other sites focuses on kings and priests, and this is very important, but ordinary people are also important," she adds.
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