The aim of this course is to examine the effects of the social, economic, and technological transformations that emerged in the Ancient Near East from the Neolithic Period onwards on the process of urbanisation, and to provide students with knowledge about the formation and development of the first cities as well as theories of urbanisation through archaeological evidence. The course also aims to develop students’ ability to evaluate regional differences in the urbanisation process and to interpret the concepts of civilisation, state, city, and social organisation within the context of human societies.

This course aims to examine the emergence and development of urbanisation in the Ancient Near East through archaeological evidence. The course addresses the development of settled life from the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods onwards, including the use of natural resources, advances in production technologies, the formation of trade networks, and processes of labour division and specialisation. In addition, the transition from developed village communities to the first urban societies is evaluated within the framework of social organisation, economic structure, and political transformations. Throughout the course, the concepts of civilisation, state, city, and urbanisation, as well as theories of urbanisation, are discussed, and the emergence of the first cities and the regional differences in the urbanisation process in the Ancient Near East are analysed in light of archaeological evidence.