Course information

[b][i]The City Rises and Falls – Exploring the Built Environment of the Ancient Near East Through its First Cities[/i][/b]

In this course, we will explore the built environment of the ancient Near East through its first cities. We will take a 3,500-year journey from the rise of Mesopotamian city-states in the Chalcolithic period (4000–3200 BCE), to the development of urban planning in the Bronze Age Indus Valley (2600 –1900 BCE), on to the demise of city states in the Mediterranean Basin and Western Asia in the Late Bronze Age (1200–1100 BCE), and finally landing at the architectural triumphs of arguably the world's first hyperpower in the Persian period (550–330 BCE).

[u]Inspirations and motivations[/u]

Researching the built environments of ancient times helps us to understand:
·       identity creation
·       relationships between art and architecture, society, politics, and culture
·       the interpretive context for material culture
·       the expression of ancient social norms: gender roles, hierarchies, ritual behaviours, etc.
·       modern developments and expressions

[u]Outlook[/u]

Throughout the seminar program, we will have broad and hopefully animated discussions about the interconnections between community, culture, and place through the built environment. We will discuss what we have observed and learnt about the rise and fall of cities, including why and how urban communities flourished, the drivers of innovation and why systemic collapse occurred. We will also examine the use of art, architecture, symbols and materials to communicate status, culture, and gender. An important consideration is how we might contextualize these concepts in terms of modern architecture and design.

This course is offered in English.

Literature
Suggested reading will be provided during the first seminar sessions, as well as uploaded in Moodle.

Further Information
[u]Seminar duration—90 minutes, weekly[/u]
·       Two student presentations per session with 10 mins break in between
·       Running order—20 minutes oral presentation, followed by 20 minutes’ class discussion

[u]Week 1[/u]—general information about the seminar, organization of talks, expectations, presentation tips, the evaluation rubric, and basic housekeeping
·       Seminar topics will begin to be allocated this week
[u]Week 2[/u]—introduction to the ‘City Rises and Falls’ by Dr Matasha Mazis 
·       Seminar-topic allocations will be finalized this week
[u]Week 3+[/u]—Student presentations begin in Week 3
(Week 5 and Week 8—11 May 2026 and 1 June 2026 are public holidays – no presentations)

[u]Research topics[/u] for the student presentations will be outlined in Weeks 1 and 2, as well as uploaded to Moodle.