The Shapes and Functions of Cities in Ancient Mesopotamia and its Surroundings

Extent: 490 pages

Publisher: Wiley-VCH

Subjects: Ancient Near East

Series: Cities and Urbanization in West Asia and North Africa

Language: English

Hardback (Forthcoming)

(February 2027)

ISBN: 9782503623665

Price: $238.00

Synopsis

This volume gathers an international group of scholars to investigate the essence of urban civilization as revealed through the cities of West Asia. Covering urbanization from the Uruk period to the Hellenistic and Roman eras, the essays present current analyses of urban landscapes, city planning, and the ideological and functional dimensions that shaped the major cities of Mesopotamia and its environs. The studies collected here situate urbanization within a longue durée perspective, combining broader conceptual treatments of Mesopotamian urban traditions with detailed portraits of major centres, including Nippur as an early religious capital, Ur’s transformation from city state to imperial centre, the administrative and political roles of Mari and Sippar, and the evolution of Assur, Babylon, Nineveh, and Uruk as sacred, imperial, and metropolitan landscapes. The result is a valuable resource that sheds new light on our understanding of the role of the city in ancient Mesopotamia, and of urbanization more broadly.

Other Titles in this Series

Cities through Time

Glimpses into Urbanity and Community in Mediaeval to Modern West Asia and Egypt

Volume 1

Edited by Tomoko Morikawa

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