Aris Politopoulos
Assistant Professor
Archaeology
Leiden University
Netherlands
Biography
Aris studied archaeology at the University of Athens. For his master, he continued his studies in Leiden. His thesis dealt with the Mitanni to Middle Assyrian transition, focusing on changes in settlement patterns and agriculture. In September 2013 he started as a self-funded PhD.
Research Interest
Aris investigates the creation of imperial capitals in the Bronze and Iron Age Near East. Capital creation is the process of constructing monumental (often new) capitals, and occurs both in modern nations and in (ancient) empires. Capital creation often follows marked changes in political and territorial power. This research project focusses on some of the earliest instances of imperial capital creation, and includes case studies from the Hittite, Assyrian, Babylonian, and Egyptian Empires. The goal of the research is to study imperial capital creation in a comparative manner and to contribute to the broader discussion on capital creation.
Publications
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Politopoulos A. (18 December 2014), Archaeogaming at the University of Leiden (Guest Post!) [blog entry].
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Politopoulos. A. (2014), Imperial Capital Creation in Ancient Near East. Archaeology in Transition Symposium 25 9 2014-26 9 2014 [conference poster].
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Mol A.A.A., Ariese C.E., Boom K.H.J. & Politopoulos Aris (2016), Video Games in Archaeology: Enjoyable but Trivial?, SAA Archaeological Record 16(5): 11-15.
