080055 PS Case Study II/III (Summer Course): Mesopotamia (2025S)

Following the rise of the Abbasids in the mid-eighth century CE, the political centre of power shifted eastward from the Levant to Mesopotamia. Under the patronage of the caliphs and elites, Mesopotamia flourished as a centre of science, literature, religion, and the arts, particularly during the early Abbasid period, often referred to in scholarly literature as the “Golden Age” or “Classical Age”. In this course, we will explore the rich and diverse material culture of Mesopotamia from the beginning of the Abbasid dynasty in the mid-eighth century to the Mongol invasion of Baghdad in the mid-thirteenth century. We will investigate various aspects of art and architecture, from urban design and palaces to architectural decorations – such as wall paintings, stucco, glass tiles – as well as portable objects, like ceramics, metal works, and textiles. Rather than treating these artifacts and structures in isolation, we will study them in their geographical, historical, socio-cultural, and transregional contexts. We will examine, for instance, how the Euphrates and Tigris shaped the morphology of the Abbasid capital cities, Baghdad and Samarra, influencing their urban structures as well as the layout and design of their palaces. Or how the art and architecture of this period reflected the emulation of the legendary pre-Islamic rulers, such as the ‎King-prophet Solomon, and their efforts to convey imperial grandeur.‎ We will also discuss the dynamic exchanges of ideas and goods with other regions, such as the importation of Chinese ceramics to Mesopotamia, and how these interactions fostered mutual artistic inspirations.