Travel across the ancient world and explore cities that played a pivotal role in shaping human civilisation. This course examines Petra, Teotihuacan, Xianyang and Persepolis. We explore how these cities were built, how people lived within them, and their influence on trade, governance and empire. Their stories reveal both innovation and conflict. Through engaging examples, this course brings ancient urban life vividly to life. This is the third of a series of courses to explore the history and significance of great cities from ancient history.

DELIVERY MODE

• Hybrid (face to face and online simultaneously)

COURSE OUTLINE

• Petra was the capital of the Nabataeans, a Canaanite people from what is now modern Jordan. It was an important trading city, an engineering innovator and now a UN Heritage protected site
• Teotihuacan was an ancient pre-Aztec city, dating back over 2,000 years. Built close to modern Mexico City and Aztec Tenochtitlan, it was an advanced and powerful city in Central America
• Xianyang was the first capital city of a unified Chinese Empire under the Qin Dynasty (3rd century BC). It was a major political, economic, and cultural centre
• Persepolis was the capital of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. Purpose-built by Darius I, it was a ceremonial showcase for the great kings of Persia.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Understand the founding and development of each city
2. Trace their role in the ancient world and what contribution they made.
3. See how they added to human development
4. Understand their history and, in most circumstances, their fall.

COURSE RESOURCES

Cities that Shaped the Ancient World, John Nulius Norwich