The Reconstructions and interpretation of ancient Mesopotamian architecture on the basis of written documents, images, and bricks are in the focus of this project.

Research

In addition to the archaeological record, both written documents and images describe, with different tools, the Mesopotamian approach to the built space. A paradigm based on multivariate sources, where buildings, images, and texts equally take part in the common perception and representation of space, is the methodological principle of this project. Given that the three expressions of architecture (images, words, and bricks) are different communication media, with different rules and different communicative priorities and audiences, the main issue is the identification and analysis of the features that are representative of the Mesopotamian concept of space and its basic cultural identity as it develops and changes over time. Moreover, the project aims at defining the role of the textual description of architecture in the construction of visual imagery, the relationship among the different traditions (architectural, iconographic, and textual), and the paths of their reciprocal influences.