Introduction

Formation and Transformation of Space and Knowledge in Ancient Civilizations,” in which representatives from various disciplines, albeit mainly from classics, work together. Critical historical research into space should not limit itself to viewing spaces as places or as framings of events or social developments. Moreover, it should not render spaces absolute, because spaces do not provide us with either the sole or the real access to history, as Karl Schlogel’s beautiful, essayistic city portraits sometimes suggest. The area where historical spatial analysis can be applied is accordingly broad: it ranges from the history of bodies that constitute space through their movement to the history of public or sacred spaces, the history of settlements and regions, and the history of globalization; it includes the history of religion, politics, media, knowledge, trade, and economics, as well as agricultural history, urban history, and global history.