Iraq Sees Growth in Research, Preservation Efforts

An international research project has found the remains¹ of what is believed to be a 5,000-year-old restaurant in southern Iraq. The discovery, announced in late January, comes at a time of great growth in Iraqi research and preservation² efforts.

Iraq is often called the "cradle of civilization" - meaning the birthplace of complex societies. The country is home to six UNESCO-listed world heritage sites, among them the ancient city of Babylon. It was home to several ancient empires under rulers like Hammurabi and Nebuchadnezzar.

But research efforts have been hurt by years of conflict before and after the United States invasion of Iraq in 2003. Many of the country's ancient treasures and other valuable property were stolen during this time.

Laith Majid Hussein, director of the State Board of Antiquities³ and Heritage of Iraq, told The Associated Press that the effects of the stealing "were very severe."

As peace returned in recent years, researchers have as well. At the same time, thousands of stolen objects have been returned, offering hope of an archeological rebirth, or renaissance⁴.

Lagash

Digging at Lagash has taken place on and off since the 1930s. Unlike many historic sites, Lagash did not have many objects stolen. This is largely due to the efforts of people living in the area, said Zaid Alrawi, an Iraqi archeologist who is the project manager at the site.

People who came to the area to steal were run off by "local villagers who consider these sites basically their own property," he said.

A temple area and the remains of important buildings had been uncovered in earlier digs. So, when archeologists returned in 2019, Alrawi said, they paid careful attention to areas that would give clues to the lives of ordinary people. Researchers began by examining what turned out to be a pottery⁵ workshop containing several kilns⁶. Kilns are kinds of ovens or furnaces used to dry or harden objects made of clay or other materials.

Further digging in the area near the workshop uncovered a large room containing a fireplace for cooking. The area also had seating and a food cooling system made with clay jars placed in the ground.

The site is believed to date to around 2,700 BC.

Alrawi said he believes the restaurant was a simple eating place to feed workers from the pottery workshop next door.

"I think it was a place to serve whoever was working at the big pottery production next door, right next to the place where people work hard, and they had to eat lunch," he said.

Alrawi, whose father was also an archeologist, grew up visiting sites around the country. Today, he is happy to see many research digs returning to Iraq.

"It's very good for the country and for the archeologists, for the international universities," he said.

Positive changes

As archeological exploration has increased, international dollars have flowed into Iraqi projects. Workers are restoring damaged ancient sites like the al-Nouri mosque⁷ in Mosul. Iraqi officials have pushed to bring back stolen pieces from countries as near as Lebanon and as far as the United States.

Last month, Iraq's national museum began opening its doors to the public for free on Fridays — a first in recent history. Families walked through halls lined with ancient objects such as Assyrian tablets. They also got a up-close look at one of the most famous of Iraq's returned objects: a small clay tablet dating back 3,500 years. The clay tablet has part of the ancient poem the Epic⁸ of Gilgamesh written on it.

The tablet was stolen from an Iraqi museum more than thirty years ago. The United States returned the tablet to Iraq two years ago. The U.S. has returned about 17,000 stolen objects to Iraq over the years.

Ebtisam Khalaf, a history teacher who was one of the visitors to the museum on its first free day, said it was a beautiful event. Khalaf liked that visitors were able to "see the things that we only used to hear about."

Words in This Story

preserve – v. to keep (something) in its original state or in good condition

site – n. the place where something (such as a building) is, was, or will be located

empire – n. a group of countries or regions that are controlled by one ruler or one government

pottery – n. objects (such as bowls, plates, etc.) that are made out of clay usually by hand and then baked at high temperatures so that they become hard

museum – n. a building in which interesting and valuable things (such as paintings and sculptures or scientific or historical objects) are collected and shown to the public

1 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

2 preservation   

n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持

参考例句：

• The police are responsible for the preservation of law and order.警察负责维持法律与秩序。
• The picture is in an excellent state of preservation.这幅画保存得极为完好。

3 antiquities   

n.古老( antiquity的名词复数 )；古迹；古人们；古代的风俗习惯

参考例句：

• There is rest and healing in the contemplation of antiquities. 欣赏古物有休息和疗养之功。 来自辞典例句
• Bertha developed a fine enthusiasm for the antiquities of London. 伯沙对伦敦的古迹产生了很大的热情。 来自辞典例句

4 renaissance   

n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴

参考例句：

• The Renaissance was an epoch of unparalleled cultural achievement.文艺复兴是一个文化上取得空前成就的时代。
• The theme of the conference is renaissance Europe.大会的主题是文艺复兴时期的欧洲。

5 pottery   

n.陶器，陶器场

参考例句：

• My sister likes to learn art pottery in her spare time.我妹妹喜欢在空余时间学习陶艺。
• The pottery was left to bake in the hot sun.陶器放在外面让炎热的太阳烘晒焙干。

6 kilns   

n.窑( kiln的名词复数 )；烧窑工人

参考例句：

• Bricks and earthware articles are baked in kilns. 砖和陶器都是在窑中烧成的。 来自辞典例句
• The bricks are baking in the kilns. ？里正在烧砖。 来自辞典例句

7 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

8 epic   

n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的

参考例句：

• I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
• They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。