Cities have been part of the human settlement landscape for more than 5000 years. So, how did the transition from rural habitations to urban centres take place? What was the reason? What functions did these spaces serve? What cultural values did they have? What role did design and architecture play in the planning of these cities? How do meanings and perspectives of ancient urban centres compare with those of today? Our 16 lectures will be addressing these and similar questions and give you a glimpse of daily life of people of the ancient world and the living spaces that they created.