NMC446H1

The Babylonian City

Ancient Mesopotamia is well known as the birthplace of some of the world’s earliest cities. This course investigates the physical form of the city in 2nd and 1st millennium BC Babylonia (southern Mesopotamia) as the setting for the daily activities of its inhabitants. It examines the key components of the Babylonian city: houses; neighbourhoods and city districts; palaces; temples and ziggurats; streets and alleys; shops and markets; city walls, gates, and moats, as well as canals, orchards and gardens. The course emphasizes the reading and critical evaluation of written sources in translation, including selected royal inscriptions, topographical texts, and legal and administrative documents. It also considers ways of approaching the study of ancient cities and addresses the integration of textual and archaeological evidence. The focus is on investigating the relationship between Babylonian city form and contemporary social structure.