The Great Man-made Mounds: Erbil, Aleppo, and Herodium

Description

The Great Man-made Mounds: Erbil, Aleppo, and Herodium Abstract: The creation of monumental heights remains one of the enduring attempts to translate ambition into earth and stone. This study shall discuss the architectural and symbolic reasoning behind the construction of artificial mounds and elevated citadels through a comparative study of the Erbil Citadel, Citadel of Aleppo, and Herodium. It shall explore how different civilizations viewed mounds in different lights and built them for different purposes, whether it be for attack and defence, political authority, cultural identity, personal needs, etc.,. The methodology is qualitative based on reviewing historical documents and comparing the mounds socio-psychological reasoning, construction methods, structural forms, and geographic settings. This study serves as a bridge between the ancient mound and the modern skyline, illustrating that while our tools have evolved, our understanding of these structures remains uncovered.