After Dark: The Nocturnal Urban Landscape & Lightscape of Ancient Cities

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "After Dark: The Nocturnal Urban Landscape & Lightscape of Ancient Cities," at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Life in an ancient metropolis was vastly different once the sun set, but what were the nocturnal footprints of its residents? Cities are notorious for having enriching and bawdy night life as well as being economically productive during the dark hours of the day – subversive and civil activities alike ensued. What kinds of material evidence can archaeologists expect to find that relates to how ancient people navigated and experienced darkness and the night in the urban landscape? This unique environment presented opportunities and challenges to any city’s population. Attention to various types of illumination is an essential part of considering the nocturnal habits of ancient urban dwellers. Similarly, material associated with nocturnal rituals and nightly use of the built environment suggests how religious and architectural spheres varied from day to night. Once we open our eyes and embrace the darkness, we find an abundance of activities that took place after hours and their archaeological signatures. This symposium advances our knowledge of archaeology of cities, archaeology of darkness and night, and lychnology, and contributes to sensory archaeology through its focus on the sensual experience of the nocturnal environment and the various stimuli that the diverse urban population experienced at night.