Marta presented her research on “Built environment and materiality: synergy and power” in the Shaping the Living Space-session, focusing on the materiality of the built environment and its impact and influence on the community perception of architecture. She discussed case studies from Bronze Age Egypt and the Levant to highlight two different patterns of interaction between community and materiality.
In particular, her study presented examples of public architectural transformation and reuse over time, using geoarchaeological and architectural analysis to investigate how the passage of power between different groups may affect building material traditions, building typology and construction techniques with the final aim to investigate the complex relationship between materiality, architecture and power in the Bronze Age Near East.
The ICAANE conference counted more than 600 presentation in sessions and workshops including updates on the current fieldwork and research conducted in the Near East alongside thematic sessions on mobility, cultural heritage, iconography, architecture and heritage protection and preservation. It was a great experience to discuss current issue in Near Eastern Archaeology such as the destruction of cultural heritage, new advances in computer application techniques, and recent discoveries in the fields.