City and the Festival: Cult Practices and Architectural Production in the Ancient Near East

This course will explore urbanization, formation of urban space, and architectural projects in relation to cult practices and commemorative ceremonies in the Ancient Near East. Investigating case studies from early cities of fourth millenium BC Mesopotamia to Iron Age Syria and Anatolia, we will study the processes of the making of urban and extra-urban landscapes in the socio-religious context of festivals.