Im Rahmen des gemeinsamen Forschungskolloquiums der Institute für Altorientalistik und Vorderasiatische Archäologie im Sommersemester 2025, laden wir alle Studierenden, Kolleg*innen und Interessierte herzlich ein zum Vortrag von:

Georg Cyrus (Freie Universität Berlin): "Economic crisis, displacement, and forced resettlement: The architecture of the lower class in the Neo-Assyrian Empire"

Abstract:

The lower class of the Neo-Assyrian Empire was essential for the imperial system to function but simultaneously posed a danger to its existence. As a historical actor who influenced the history of Iron Age Mesopotamia, subaltern and lower-class people are underexplored. However, a thorough investigation of the lower class is necessary to understand the rise and fall of polities like the Neo-Assyrian Empire.

In this talk, I will attempt to investigate the lower class of the Neo-Assyrian Empire by examining the houses and dwellings they occupied. Through this examination,
I aim to reconstruct standards of living and observe how they changed during the 300 years of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. Such an investigation allows for a deeper exploration of the everyday lives of lower-class people and helps us understand what it meant to be poor in ancient Assyria.