The Mesopotamian ancients might have done as many modern folk do, dropping into their local pub on the way home to cap off their daily grind, evidence now shows.
The remains of a “tavern”—complete with an ancient fridge, oven, benches, bowls, and beakers—have been unearthed by researchers in Lagash, an ancient urban area in southern Iraq.
Archaeologists from Penn Museum and the University of Pisa have embarked on an investigation into the lives of populations who may have engaged in early industrial crafts, namely pottery production, potentially revealing the existence of an ancient “middle class.”
This discovery contrasts previous understandings that only two classes—elite and slave—existed in this part of the world at that time.
