Lagash
Al-Hiba
Iraq · Dhi Qar
In brief
Lagash at Al-Hiba was one of the great cities of the Sumerian world. New excavations are providing evidence of production areas and spaces used for daily life outside the temples.
What was found?
- 1Dining courtyard with benches
According to researchers, the structure, which includes an open courtyard, seating benches and a kitchen area, was a place where food was served to the public. Dating to approximately 2700 BCE, this discovery sheds light on the communal life of ordinary city dwellers.
- 2Large cooking oven
The remains of its mudbrick wall, floor and internal platforms on which food was placed have been identified. It preserves architectural details of the food preparation arrangements.
- 3Zeer-type cooling installation
A cooling installation made from nested vessels was found. Subsequent investigations showed that the large inverted jar at its center had been used as a standalone cooler during an earlier phase of the structure.
- 4Vessels with food remains
Vessels, some containing food remains, were uncovered in the dining space. They contribute to understanding the building's function in preparing and serving food.
- 5Pottery kilns
Pottery kilns with oval pits made of fired mudbrick were found. According to researchers, the concentration of kilns indicates pottery production on a substantial scale in the city.
What does it point to?
The finds show that craft production and the preparation and consumption of food played important roles in everyday life at Lagaş. According to researchers, the dining space served the neighborhood; however, this does not make it possible to determine the precise social identity of its customers.
What did it teach us?
- Provided concrete evidence for communal dining spaces in early urban life.
- Showed that pottery production, with its kilns and work areas, was established within urban neighborhoods.
- Documented the use of cooling installations made from vessels to store food.
Images
Latest news / selected archive
A discovery announced in 2023 revealed that a communal dining space approximately 5,000 years old, identified in autumn 2022, contained seating benches, an oven and a cooling installation.
Record
- Culture
- Sumerian
- First modern dig
- 1887
- Team / historical
- Holly Pittman; Lagash Archaeological Project, comprising researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Pisa, and Iraq
- Coordinates
- 31.4114°, 46.4072°
Sources
Nearby excavations
- —
- —
- 12.000
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