Recent work at the ruins of Ancient Ebla in modern-day Syria has yielded a spectacular set of lapis-inlaid libation tables. These tables, found in the Royal Palace precinct, are inscribed with references to the "Festival of the Seven Gates," a multi-day event that celebrated the city's divine protection and political stability over 4,500 years ago.
The discovery is significant because it provides a material link to the cuneiform administrative tablets found in the Ebla archives, which describe the logistics of providing grain and wine for the festival’s thousands of participants. The lapis lazuli, imported from distant Afghanistan, underscores the imperial wealth channeled into these grand public celebrations.