Le antiche piazze levantine e la loro rilevanza per lo studio degli insediamenti fenici e punici del Mediterraneo centrale

This contribution reviews the evidence on urban squares in the Late Bronze and Iron Age Levant, delineates a method to interpret their characteristic features in terms of models of socio-political interactions, and identifies three kinds of urban squares : neighbourhood, ceremonial, and market squares. A specific subtype with sometimes mixed features, the gate square, is also discussed. The same approach is then applied to the Central Mediterranean case study of Monte Sirai in South Sardinia to test its feasibility for broader historical and comparative urban studies.