Iraq Dig Uncovers 5,000 Year Old Pub Restaurant

Archaeologists working in Iraq have uncovered the remains of a tavern dating back nearly 5,000 years they hope will throw new light on the emergence of the world's first cities. Asaad NIAZI / AFP

Archaeologists in southern Iraq have uncovered the remains of a tavern dating back nearly 5,000 years they hope will illuminate the lives of ordinary people in the world's first cities.

The US-Italian team made the find in the ruins of ancient Lagash, northeast of the modern city of Nasiriyah, which was already known to have been one of the first urban centers of the Sumerian civilization of ancient Iraq, AFP said.