The Three-Spaces City: A Hebraic Urban Archetype and its Manifestation as Eruv

The exploration of the urban biblical archetype reaches from the story of Eden, through the diagrams of Israel`s Camp in the desert, the prophetical city described by Ezekiel, and onto the more accurate description of the City of Levites. This archetype was reproduced in a Halachic form, prominently by the medium of Eruv techumin ((ערוב תחומין.

The lecture will explore the image of the city of sages as an interpretation of the Ideal city of Levites, and its spatial characteristics exhibited in the different modalities which apply to each of the three spaces in comparison to one another. This image revolves around the same archetypical three space layout originating from scripture. Examination of the city archetype in the context of historical and theoretical architectural discourse, especially discussions about the public sphere, yields new perspectives regarding the meaning of sacred space as an alternative to- rather than a branch of- public space. These perspectives may allow reinterpretation of the Ideal city in the texts of Greek town planner Hippodamus (found in Aristotle) and Roman Architect Vitruvius.