City and Micro-region in the Ancient Mediterranean (and Beyond)

The international City & Micro‑Region in the Ancient Mediterranean (and Beyond) conference series investigates ancient cities and their surrounding micro-regions as interconnected socio-ecological systems. It emphasises the mutual entanglement of urban and rural areas across space and time. The series intends to foster a diachronic and comparative understanding of urban and regional dynamics in the past—contributing to wider debates on cities, environments, and societies today.

Following an exciting start in Madrid in May, the conference is currently entering its second phase. From 30 October to 1 November 2025 international researchers will meet again to discuss ancient cities and their micro-regions — this time at the Istanbul Department of the German Archaeological Institute.

The second part of the conference series looks at the representation, perception, and planning of city & micro-region configurations and goes beyond them by discussing key themes such as connectivity, Integration, and the global perspective. This includes for instance maritime interaction, regional entanglement, and the relevance of city&micro-region configurations beyond the ancient Mediterranean.

The conference series is jointly organised by the Istanbul and Madrid departments of the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) in collaboration with the TransArea Network Mediterranean Archaeology. The intellectual framework of the project are guided by a board of international specialists in the field  - comprising Manuel Fernández-Götz (Edinburgh), Elif Koparal (Istanbul), Naoíse MacSweeney (Wien), Jeroen Poblome (Leuven), Andrea Wallace-Hadrill (Cambridge) and Martin Zimmermann (München).

The first day of the City and Micro-region in the Ancient Mediterranean (and Beyond) conference will close with an evening lecture by Prof. D.Phil. John Ma (Columbia University) on the topic ‘On micro-regionalism’, followed by a reception at the German Consulate General.

The hybrid event will be held in English. To attend the event and the evening lecture, please use the registration options for in-person or online participation. For in-person attendance, register by 15:00 on the day before the event.

Registration

To attend the event, please use the registration options for in-person or online participation. For physical participation, register by 15:00 on the day before the event.

In-Person Registration:

https://terminplaner6.dfn.de/b/e3a36977442dbaadffb740c63d8e0d28-1388814

Online Registration: 

https://dainst-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/-pwWLaVrTjWXYOWmPGgjug

Evening lecture Registration:

In-Person Registration: 

https://terminplaner6.dfn.de/b/580478541db9d191b185a5397e9e9862-1388850

Online Registration Event: 

https://dainst-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/droxxD91SVi0NV4foB2zhw

Data protection: Video, image and/or audio recordings will be made of the event. The recordings will be used for information and public relations purposes relating to the event. This includes online publication of the image and audio recordings on DAI websites and social media channels, and possibly also live streaming to online participants. Further information and details of your rights can be found at www.dainst.org/datenschutz.