Urban Relations - Network for the Study of Cities in Ancient North Africa

在过去的20年里，出现了许多关于古代北非的新研究著作，最重要的是，它们使迄今为止被严重忽视的方面和时期成为焦点。然而，多样化的跨学科个别研究大多局限于一小段时间或特定的主题或空间，迄今缺乏全面的研究。因此，拟议的网络为自己设定了目标，即发挥目前存在的创新潜力，并首次尝试从长远的角度审视古代北非城市从开始到伊斯兰扩张的多样化发展。为此，该网络希望选择一种综合的方法，从城市的单个组成部分和建成的中心来看，这种方法较少被认为是城市，而是将城市理解为复杂的关系网络。与传统的方法不同，网络打算改变视角，从城市的外部关系的角度来看待城市。从这个角度来看，城市的形成和发展将从城市与其近处和远方环境之间在各种紧密相连的层面上的相互沟通的关系来考察。在这一相互依存的关系体系中，重点特别放在：(1)城市和景观，(2)城市及其周围环境，(3)城市和其他城市，(4)城市和其他形式的社区，以及(5)城市与环境之间的关系。这些不同层次的城市关系密切相关，并将在有针对性的纵向和横向研究中进行调查，以便通过对从城市生活形式的起源到伊斯兰扩张的城市关系系统的分散观察，追踪古代北非城市生活发展的多样性。这样，对北非城市生活的研究将被放在一个新的基础上，并将解决在总体研究和比较研究中经常观察到的古代北非的边缘化问题。

In the last 20 years, numerous new research works on ancient North Africa have appeared and, above all, have brought hitherto strongly neglected aspects and periods into focus. However, the diverse interdisciplinary individual studies are mostly limited to a small period of time or specific topics or spaces; there has been a lack of comprehensive studies so far. The proposed network has therefore set itself the goal of taking up the innovative potential that currently exists and attempting, for the first time, to look at the diverse developments of cities in ancient North Africa from their beginnings to the Islamic expansion from a long-term perspective. For this purpose, the network wants to choose an integrative approach, with which the city is thought of less in terms of its individual components and its built-up centre, but rather the cities are understood as complex networks of relationships. In contrast to conventional approaches, the network intends to change the perspective and view the city from the perspective of its external relations. From this position, the formations and developments of urbanities are to be examined with regard to the communicative interrelationships between the city and its near and far surroundings on various closely interconnected levels. Within this interdependent system of relations, the focus is particularly on the relations between (1) cities and landscapes, (2) cities and their surroundings, (3) cities and other cities, (4) cities and other forms of communities, and (5) cities and the oikumene. These different levels of urban relations are closely interrelated and will be investigated in targeted longitudinal and cross-sectional studies in order to trace the diversity of developments in urban life in ancient North Africa through a decentralised view of the relational systems of cities from the beginnings of urban forms of life to the Islamic expansion. In this way, research on urban life in North Africa will be placed on a new footing and the often observed marginalisation of ancient North Africa in overarching and comparative studieswill be addressed.