Archaeologists find 5,000-year-old tavern in Iraq, refrigerator still intact

A 5,000-year-old tavern with an open-air dining area and a partial kitchen was uncovered by a team of archeologists from the Penn Museum in Iraq.

The tavern is located in the southern ancient Iraqi city of Lagash, now known as Al-Hiba. Archaeologists discovered that it had benches, a refrigerator, an oven and remains of old food. 

Field Director Dr. Sara Pizzimenti from the University of Pisa suggested that instead of digging straight down, the team should use a different approach by excavating the area by digging horizontally. The team found the tavern was only 19 inches below the surface by following that approach.

"Recovering a site like this almost 5,000-year-old public eatery so close to the surface is remarkable," the Lagash Archaeological Project (LAP) Director and Curator of the Penn Museum's Near East Section, Dr. Holly Pittman said. "Only a meticulous, multi-phased horizontal excavation can expose what remains."

Lagash is one of the oldest and largest Mesopotamian cities during the 3rd millennium. Due to the surrounding marshes and its fertile land, it was a major production center for agriculture and fishing.

Dr. Pittman and the team of international researchers have been involved in the Lagash Archaeological Project for four years. 

What have the archaeologists found so far at the site in Iraq?

Since their start in 2019, archaeologists have found two houses, roads, alleyways, pottery and ceramic kilns that have stayed intact for thousands of years. 

Dr. Pittman said that the residents in Lagash were neither elite nor slaves but rather independent people living in urban neighborhoods, a different approach than what archaeologists would have previously thought when excavating areas like this.

"Probably what we have - and especially in an environment as precarious as southern Mesopotamia - is that you have a broad band of people that we might consider 'middle class' during the 3rd millennium," Dr. Pittman explained. "They had agency; they made decisions. They didn't have wealth necessarily, but they were largely independent and had mobility."

The Lagash Archaeological Project has been working with nearby residents during excavations. The researchers would teach school kids and their families about archaeology and explain the area as well as show what they have found as they explained what they were used for.

The team of archaeologists is hoping that one day, they will be able to bring Iraqi archaeology students to work on the project as well.

Dr. Pittman and Ph.D. candidate in the Art and Archaeology of the Mediterranean World, Reed C. Goodman, will be speaking for the Great Lecture on May 3 about their work excavating areas in Iraq.