Dense urbanism and economic multi-centrism at third-millennium BC Lagash

• Autores: Augusta McMahon, Holly Pittman, Zaid al Rawi, Darren Ashby, Katherine Burge, Reed Goodman, Emily Hammer
• Localización: Antiquity, ISSN 0003-598X, Vol. 97, Nº 393, 2023, págs. 596-615
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Studies of ancient Mesopotamian cities have long focused on their institutions. Here, instead, the authors draw on recent investigations at the third-millennium BC site of Lagash (modern Tell al-Hiba, Iraq) to explore urban density, economy and sustainability at one of the largest ancient urban centres of the region. Drawing on excavation, environmental and remote-sensing data, the authors adopt a multi-scalar approach, revealing dense urban occupation, with subdivision into distinct walled quarters, as well as evidence for multiple foci of intensive industrial production and the exploitation of a rich mosaic of surrounding micro-environments. The study emphasises how a combination of new field data and alternative research directions offers novel insights into early urbanism.