The tavern contained a bench, a type of clay refrigerator called a zeer, an oven and the remains of storage vessels, some of which still contained food, according to an article in PennToday.
“It’s a public eating space that dates back to around 2,700 BC. It’s part open space, part kitchen,” says Holly Pittman, a professor in the Department of Art History at the University of Pennsylvania, curator of the section of the Near East of the Peen Museum and director of the Lagash project.
The find offers another glimpse into the lives of ordinary people who lived in this part of the world some 5,000 years ago.
Archaeological discovery in Iraq
They were initially found in the open courtyard space, an area that was difficult to excavate as it was “open and exposed to the outdoors,” he said. to CNN Reed Goodman, an archaeologist at the University of Pennsylvania.
After returning to the courtyard a few months later, in the fall of 2022, field director Sara Pizzimenti, from the University of Pisa, widened the trench.
The team later discovered an industrial-sized oven, a “moisture-absorbing refrigerator” to keep food fresh, and dozens of conical bowls, many of which contained fish remains. This revealed that the purpose of that patio was to serve as an outdoor dining area.
Lagash, now called al-Hiba, was one of the most important cities in southern Mesopotamia.
“The site was of great political, economic and religious importance. However, we also believe that Lagash was an important population center with easy access to fertile land and people engaged in intensive artisanal production,” Pittman says.
The specialist points out that Lagash could have been an important capital city and at the same time, an industrial center.
With information from CNN