Founding the City. Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome

Founding the City follows in the steps of Soul Houses (1997), providing a focus for reflection on the origins of urban space. A space which is also seen as a cry for order within the chaos of the universe, like a great counterpoint to the natural element: ultimately, the fragile cradle of civilisation.

According to the beliefs of antiquity, the founding of a city was elevated to an act of divine influence. It involved myth, legend and ritual which all confirmed the superior origin of the urban space. The foundation myths of Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome all had elements in common, such as the sun god, the figure of the founder, his long journey, the presence of animal-guides and the fight against a monster, which this exhibition explains by means of two hundred and seventy original pieces.