[ti:Iraq Sees Growth in Research, Preservation Efforts] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]An international research project [00:02.84]has found the remains of what is believed [00:06.36]to be a 5,000-year-old restaurant in southern Iraq. [00:12.32]The discovery, announced in late January, [00:15.80]comes at a time of great growth [00:18.44]in Iraqi research and preservation efforts. [00:22.36]Iraq is often called the "cradle of civilization" - [00:27.16]meaning the birthplace of complex societies. [00:31.56]The country is home to six [00:33.64]UNESCO-listed world heritage sites, [00:36.64]among them the ancient city of Babylon. [00:40.84]It was home to several ancient empires [00:43.80]under rulers like Hammurabi and Nebuchadnezzar. [00:48.96]But research efforts have been hurt by years of conflict [00:52.76]before and after the United States invasion of Iraq in 2003. [01:00.16]Many of the country's ancient treasures [01:02.92]and other valuable property were stolen during this time. [01:07.48]Laith Majid Hussein, [01:09.44]director of the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage of Iraq, [01:14.84]told The Associated Press that the effects [01:17.60]of the stealing "were very severe." [01:20.80]As peace returned in recent years, researchers have as well. [01:26.40]At the same time, [01:28.08]thousands of stolen objects have been returned, [01:31.88]offering hope of an archeological rebirth, or renaissance. [01:38.44]Digging at Lagash has taken place on and off since the 1930s. [01:45.92]Unlike many historic sites, [01:48.92]Lagash did not have many objects stolen. [01:53.16]This is largely due to the efforts [01:55.92]of people living in the area, said Zaid Alrawi, [02:00.76]an Iraqi archeologist who is the project manager at the site. [02:06.52]People who came to the area to steal were run off [02:11.24]by "local villagers who consider these sites [02:14.88]basically their own property," he said. [02:17.96]A temple area and the remains of important buildings [02:23.84]had been uncovered in earlier digs. [02:27.16]So, when archeologists returned in 2019, Alrawi said, [02:33.80]they paid careful attention to areas [02:36.68]that would give clues to the lives of ordinary people. [02:41.68]Researchers began by examining what turned out to be [02:46.20]a pottery workshop containing several kilns. [02:51.20]Kilns are kinds of ovens or furnaces used to dry [02:57.40]or harden objects made of clay or other materials. [03:02.52]Further digging in the area near the workshop [03:06.20]uncovered a large room containing a fireplace for cooking. [03:11.48]The area also had seating and a food cooling system [03:17.32]made with clay jars placed in the ground. [03:21.52]The site is believed to date to around 2,700 BC. [03:28.80]Alrawi said he believes the restaurant [03:32.04]was a simple eating place to feed workers [03:35.40]from the pottery workshop next door. [03:38.56]"I think it was a place to serve whoever was working [03:42.48]at the big pottery production next door, [03:46.04]right next to the place where people work hard, [03:49.16]and they had to eat lunch," he said. [03:52.76]Alrawi, whose father was also an archeologist, [03:57.28]grew up visiting sites around the country. [04:00.72]Today, he is happy to see many research digs returning to Iraq. [04:06.44]"It's very good for the country and for the archeologists, [04:11.36]for the international universities," he said. [04:15.68]As archeological exploration has increased, [04:19.12]international dollars have flowed into Iraqi projects. [04:23.80]Workers are restoring damaged ancient sites [04:27.52]like the al-Nouri mosque in Mosul. [04:31.68]Iraqi officials have pushed to bring back stolen pieces [04:35.24]from countries as near as Lebanon [04:38.56]and as far as the United States. [04:41.68]Last month, Iraq's national museum began opening its doors [04:46.80]to the public for free on Fridays — a first in recent history. [04:52.44]Families walked through halls lined with ancient objects [04:56.00]such as Assyrian tablets. [04:59.92]They also got a up-close look [05:02.04]at one of the most famous of Iraq's returned objects: [05:07.04]a small clay tablet dating back 3,500 years. [05:12.84]The clay tablet has part of the ancient poem [05:16.32]the Epic of Gilgamesh written on it. [05:19.68]The tablet was stolen from an Iraqi museum [05:22.68]more than thirty years ago. [05:25.16]The United States returned the tablet to Iraq two years ago. [05:30.32]The U.S. has returned [05:31.96]about 17,000 stolen objects to Iraq over the years. [05:37.56]Ebtisam Khalaf, a history teacher [05:40.72]who was one of the visitors to the museum on its first free day, [05:45.56]said it was a beautiful event. [05:48.64]Khalaf liked that visitors were able to [05:51.80]"see the things that we only used to hear about." [05:56.48]I'm John Russell. [05:58.12]And I'm Ashley Thompson.更多听力请访问51VOA.COM