Lagash Archaeological Project (LAP)
A new archaeological project at the ancient city of Lagash in south Iraq (modern Tell al-Hiba) began in March-April of 2019. LAP is a collaboration between the University of Cambridge, University of Pennsylvania (USA) and Iraq State Board of Antiquities and Heritage.
During the 3rd millennium BC Early Dynastic Period, cities of several hundred hectares dominated the settlement pattern of southern Mesopotamia (south Iraq). LAP explores the growth and resilience of these early cities, particularly their potential diversity in demography and economy. We also aim to reconstruct the urban landscape, especially any neighbourhood variations in density and clustering of economic activities, particularly those relegated to the urban edge zones. The project is grounded in multi-scalar archaeological research at Tell al-Hiba, involving remote sensing (drone photography and magnetic gradiometry), survey, excavation, and scientific analyses of material culture and organic data. We also have an ambitious programme of environmental research that particularly addresses the resources in the nearby marshes and the channel of the Tigris River.
British Institute for the Study of Iraq