This project aims to investigate Levantine Iron Age earthen architecture as a reflection of social dynamics, using the approach of analysing mudbricks as material culture. Furthermore the study aims to examine changes in architectural form and technology alongside the reconstruction of technological and social processes of earthen materials manufacture and construction. This multidisciplinary study relies on three disciplines: building archaeology, geoarchaeology and anthropology of architecture.
The research significance of this project is not only to understand the archaeological importance of mudbrick architecture as a reflection of society’s past practices, but also to positively re-evaluate modern earthen construction as a constructive and an efficient example of sustainable architecture that can incorporate lessons from the past to cope with the environmental challenges of the present.
Photo: Rampart in Palaepaphos, Courtesy of Maria Iacovou, PULP Project