Power and Architecture. Monumental Public Architecture in the Bronze Age Near East and Aegean: Proceedings of the International Conference 'Power and (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9789042918313)

Public buildings reflect the investment of social resources and are usually interpreted as the embodiments of political, social, religious and economic power. The architecture of such buildings is often especially devised to reflect the performance of this power, incorporating a symbolism that served as a signpost for a particular social order. This symbolism was especially carried by monumentality and enhanced by scale, location, decoration, materials and visual impact. By making particular use of the natural landscape and the artificially created environment, the monumentality of public buildings helped to improve social cohesion and legitimated a particular societal system. Moreover, their intergenerational use gave such buildings great potential for communication and remembrance, especially during specific ceremonies. This volume is the reflection of an international conference which brought together specialists from two sides of the Eastern Mediterranean, the Near East and the Aegean, two areas that interrelated at different levels and at different moments during the Bronze Age, in order to examine how public architecture was used within this process.

Author: K. Van Lerberghe
ISBN-10: 9042918314
ISBN-13: 9789042918313
Publisher: Peeters
Language: English
Published: 08/22/2007
Pages: 236
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.41lbs
Size: 9.61h x 6.61w x 0.68d