ABSTRACT

An archaeological study of public buildings, palaces and temples in the ‘Sumerian world’ is a complex venture that faces several fundamental issues: What are ‘public’ buildings, what is a palace, what is a temple and what is the ‘Sumerian world’? How can archaeological research recognise ‘palaces and temples’ among those buildings in a town that have been convincingly identified as ‘public’? Does archaeological research thus have the means at its disposal to determine the functions of structures or rather to recognise the intentions of the builders regarding the functions of built space and/or the manner in which the buildings were used? The allocation of functions to buildings such as ‘public’, ‘palace’, ‘temple’ raises further questions concerning the social conditions under which the appropriate works have been created or became necessary. Does the existence of palaces and temples imply certain forms of social and political organisation? In other words, who needs public buildings and why?