SA530 ANCIENT URBAN TRADITIONS
| Course Code: | 8140530 |
| METU Credit (Theoretical-Laboratory hours/week): | 3 (3.00 - 0.00) |
| ECTS Credit: | 8.0 |
| Department: | Settlement Archaeology |
| Language of Instruction: | English |
| Level of Study: | Graduate |
| Course Coordinator: | Assist.Prof.Dr DRIES DAEMS |
| Offered Semester: | Spring Semesters. |
Course Objectives
The aim of this course is to introduce students to the topic of ancient urbanism and related problems and approaches. The focus is on the social and economic aspects of ancient urbanism rather than on the major monument types and the physical fabric of towns. In its first half, this course will cover the different approaches to and definitions of ancient urbanism, the social and economic implications of urban layouts, the economies of ancient towns, the urban systems and the urban-rural dichotomy. Keeping this perspective in hindsight, the second half of the course will offer a survey of the different urban traditions in the ancient world. The focus will be on urbanism in Anatolia, along with its contextualization in the wider Near East and the Mediterranean, during the first millennium BCE and first millennium CE.
Course Content
The aim of this course is to introduce students to the topic of ancient urbanism, related problems and approaches. The focus is on the social and economic aspects of ancient urbanism rather than on the major monument types and the physical fabric of towns. In its first half, this course will cover the different approaches to and definitions of ancient urbanism, the social and economic implications of urban layouts, the economies of ancient towns, the urban systems and the urban-rural dichotomy. The second half of the course will offer a survey of the different urban traditions in the ancient world.
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon taking this course the students are expected to:
- Have a clear idea about the concept of urban settlements in antiquity;
- Know the various approaches to and methods of studying ancient towns and urban networks
- Understand the social and economic dimensions of ancient urbanism
- Be able to relate urbanism to the broader phenomenon of settlement hierarchies
- Gain a primary insight into the various theories about ancient towns
- Become familiar with the various urban traditions that existed in the ancient world
- Be able to formulate research questions pertaining to some of the problems of ancient urbanism