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ANCIENT CITY

In the study of the ancient world a City is


generally defined as a large populated
urban
center
of
commerce
and
administration with a system of laws and,
usually, regulated means of sanitation.
This is only one definition, however, and
the designation `City' can be based on
such factors as the:

population of the settlement


height of buildings

density of buildings/population
presence of some kind of sewer
system
level of administrative government
presence of walls and/or fortifications
geographical area of the settlement

Figure 1. Locations of Ancient Cities

In the ancient world, very often a `city' describes an urban center of dense population
and a certain pattern of buildings spreading out from a central religious complex such as
a temple (though, frustratingly, this could sometimes apply equally well to a `village' or
`settlement'). The word `city derives from the Latin civitas although urban development
pre-dates Rome by many centuries. Professor M. E. Smith of Arizona State University
writes in The Sage Encyclopedia of Urban Studies, that, "The demographic definition,
based on the concepts of Louis Wirth, identifies cities as large, dense settlements with
social heterogeneity" (26), meaning that they are defined as large communities of
people who have decided to live together for a common purpose under laws observed
by all. This definition, however, could apply equally well to large villages as to cities.
Innovations that influenced the development of the earliest cities

a) The plow and rectilinear farming.


b) Circular and radiocentric planning (for herding and eventually for defense)

NEOLITHIC CITIES:
Jericho
early
settlement
in
Israel
-9000
BC
A
well-organized
community
of
about
3000
people
Built
around
a
reliable
source
of
freshwater
Only
3
hectares
and
enclosed
with
a
circular
stone
wall
- Overrun in about 6500 b.c., rectangular layouts followed
Throughout much of her
history, the ancient town of
Jericho has been associated
with walls. The most notable
story of Jericho is that of
Joshua, who according to
Biblical accounts, caused the
circumvallate walls to "come
tumbling down." The natural
walls surrounding Jericho
also
are
of
historical
importance to the ancient
settlement.
The original walls of Jericho
are
the
result
of
seismographic
activity
producing
a
great
rift
extending from the Sea of
Galilee to Northern Africa.
The land in this region
dropped some 3,000 feet and
settled at least 900 feet below
sea level. At this low elevation
we find one of the oldest
ancient urban dwellings of
recorded history, Jericho.

Khirokitia:
Early settlement in Cyprus - 5500 BC
- First documented settlement with streets
- The main street heading uphill was narrow but had a wider
terminal, which may have been a social spot
Khirokitia is an archaeological site on the island of Cyprus
dating from the Neolithic age. It has been listed as a World
Heritage Site by UNESCO since 1998.
The site is known as one of the most important and best
preserved prehistoric sites of the eastern Mediterranean.
Much of its importance lies in the evidence of an organised
functional society in the form of a collective settlement, with
surrounding fortifications for communal protection.
The Neolithic aceramic period is represented by this settlement and around 20 other
similar settlements spread throughout Cyprus.
Figure 2. plan from Khirokitia showing the two
walls and extended settlement between
Le Brun, A. (1997). Khirokitia, a Neolithic Site.

ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA
GEOLOGICAL
The Mesopotamian plain is mostly afluviat, and befont.ayst8mltic control of the flood waters
contained much marshland. Reeds and rushes could etwaya be had in profusion, but nmbef
is imported. Stone too was lacking, timestone of alabuter il transported from 1he uplands,
llso of minerals like Copper, Tin, Lead, Goad, Silver. The one building material universalty
available was the clay from the soil hself, for making bricks. Chopped straW was mixed with
the sun-dried bricks.
Beyond Mesopotamia, on the pla188ux of Anatolia and tran, the Geology is completely dif
ferent. Stone was available throughout the highland .zone for bufkJing purpoees; and
Anatofia Timber is available conaequentty oJSdnctJve architeC'tural traditions appeared,. with
the timber frame structure being the protOtype of ~ in mud brick. ...
CLIMATIC
Except for the humid Black sea and Caspian Littorals, most of the Near East is subject to
extremes of temperature between winter and summer, the prevalence of heat or cold being
detennined principally by altitude. In much of the highland zone, winter is longer than summer.
The MEGARON" with its entrance at the end rather than in the long sldee, was thus
suited to the climate in the Anatotian plateau; and perhaps too the dry, exhilarating air of the
Iranian plateau-Persepolis stands at an altitude of 1 ,8)0 M (6,000 ft.). May account for the
frequency of light. columned halls and porticoes in the persian royal buildings.

HISTORICAL, SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS


a. Mesopotamia- Sumerians, an "Asianic" people had been occupying the land from the
first settlement of Erldu, by historical tradition and material evidence the oldest city of
Sumer before Sargon. The cities of Mesopotamia had been ruled by individual governors.
The mainspring of growth of cities in Mesopatamia was the temple, the source of that
communal organiza1ion and authority which each community required to achieve the

status and premanence at a city.

b. Anatolia. the Levant and Iran -The archives of the Hittite Capital Hattusas are the
main source of knowledge of the history and civilization of the Hittite State in the second
millennium B.C. A major disruption occured with the invasion of the sea peoples, bringing the
philistines to occupy part of the land which has ever since retained. their name
Palestine. The most important result of the event was the development of iron - working.
c. The Persian empire- from a relatively small state in south-west Iran, Cyrus the gteat
founder of the Acheamenian empire, established the basis of his power by the defeat of
his grandfather, Astyages the Mede. The rule of the persians waa not harsh; customs and
religious of the conquered people were respected.

ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
1. In the alluvial plains of the Tigris and EuphrateS Stone and Timber suitable for building
were rare or unobtainable except by importation. There was however an abundance of
clay which compressed in moulds and either dried in the sun or kilnfired, provided bricks
for every kind of structure. Besides massive, towered fortifications.
2. The outstanding constructions were Temple complexes or palaces, Temples being
typical of Bab,lonian architecture and palaces of Assyrian, buildings were raised on
mud brick platforms dnd the chief temples has sacred "ZIGGURATS" artificial mountains
made up of tiered, rectangular stages which rose in number from one to seven in
the course of Meso~otamian history (a high pyramidal stages tower, angles
were oriented to the cardinal points).
3. Apart from the fu~ifications and the Ziggurats buildings of all types were arranged round
large and small courtS, the rooms are narrow and thick walled carrying brick barrel
vaults and sometimes cones.
4. The roof were usually flat outside except where domes protruded, palm logs supported
rushes and packed clay served for coverings.
5. Burnt brick was used sparingly for facings or where special stress was expected.

6. Walls were white washed or as with the developed Ziggurat, painted in colour.
7. Essentially, architecture was arcuated. The table arch with radiating voussoirs having
been known by the third millenaum B.C.
8. For want of stone, columns were not used, except for a few instances.
9. Towers of flat buttressa strips were commonly vertically panelled and finished in
stepped. battlements above and stone plinths below with colossal winged bulls guarding
the chief portals, facing with polychrome glazed bricks, introduced by the Assyrians, was
another mode of decoration.
10. The architecture of the Persians was columnary and thus vastly different from the
massive arcuated architecture of the Mesopotamian peoples they conquered.
11. Flat Timber roofs rather than vaults served for covefings, which allowed columns to be
Slender and graceful. while with their help rooms could be large where necessary. and
Of square proportions rather than elongated.
12. For ceilings, wooden brackets and beams carried by the columns supported a covering
of clay on a bedding of reeds on logs or planks.
13. The use of double mud brick walls for stability as at persepolis~ may have allowed small
Windows just below ceiling level without their appearing on the severe external tacades.
14. Stone was plentiful on the upland sites, but used sparingly for sUCh purposes as
fire-Temples and palace platforms; door and window surrounds. and for richly ornate
columns and relief sculptUre~ and for richly ornate .columns and relief. sculpture, or with
figures on a modest scate.

It would ~accurate to claim ttiat the architectural character of the major building erected
during many centuries in Mesopotamia, and during the archaemenian period in Iran,
exemplify the two main traditions of the Near East as whole that .of the alluvial river
plains and that of the whole highland Zone respectivety. These were the traditions of
clay and wood.

Figure 3. The approach on the North-.West was by a magnificent flight of steps, 6.7 m (22ft.)
wide, shallow enough for horses to ascend. A gatehouse by Xerxes had mud-brick
walls, faced with polychrome bricks, and front and rear portals guarded by stone bulls.
A third doorway on the south led towards the " APADANA'', a grand audience hall, 76.2m
(250ft.) square and with thirty..s;x columns within its 6 m (20ft.) thick walls, begun by
Darius but completed by his two successors. It stood on its own Terrace 3m (10 'ft.)
high had three porticoes each with double colonnades; stairways on the North and east
side, and minor rooms across the south side and in the tour angle towers.

City Of Eridu
Eridu is an ancient Sumerian city in what is now Tell Abu Shahrain, Dhi Qar Governorate, Iraq.
Eridu was long considered the earliest city in southern Mesopotamia, and is still today argued to
be the oldest city in the world. Located 12 km southwest of Ur, Eridu was the southernmost of a
conglomeration ofSumerian cities that grew about temples, almost in sight of one another. In
Sumerian mythology, Eridu was originally the home ofEnki, later known by the Akkadians as Ea,
who was considered to have founded the city. His temple was called E-Abzu, as Enki was
believed to live in Abzu, an aquifer from which all life was believed to stem.
Chronology: construction phases The lowest building levels at Eridu (XVIII to XV), revealed small houses and shrines built of
mud-brick to rectangular plans. This phase dates back to 5,000 BC.
The next phase (Hajji Muhammed), began about 4,750 BC and occupies five building levels.
This phase was well represented across southern Mesopotamia. It develops into the third
phase.
The third phase of development was named after the site Al 'Ubaid'. The Ubaid people spread
across the whole of Mesopotamia. They used gold and copper and casted axes.
The Ubaid were succeeded by the Uruk phase which lasted from around 3,800 - 3,200 BC. The
first evidence of writing was discovered at this level.

Irrigation did occur elsewhere prior to


Eridu's settlement. At Eridu irrigation
is a community scale enterprise. The
earliest occupational levels include
significant, central public structures
that evolved to ziggurats. These
structures remained central to
Mesopotamian communities and are
probably reflective of the evolution of
community and regional organization
during a continuum spanning
millennia. Their constant rebuilding
and enlargement is indicative of their
social significance. Their centrality in
the community is not only spatial;
they are surrounded by important
architecture like storage buildings
and the most palatial compounds.
Canal works and public architecture evidence community organization. Evidence of land control or ownership systems is
more ephemeral. Irrigation works make land more valuable to the agriculturalist or community, a quality dependent on a
capacity to construct, operate and maintain a spatially complex, elaborate water transport system. This sort of
sophisticated sphere of activity involves foresight, feasibility understanding, good engineering, organized construction and,
to insure continuity, constant control and maintenance; in other words a community organization with continuity.

Damascus
Founded in the 3rd millennium B.C., Damascus was an important cultural and commercial
centre, by virtue of its geographical position at the crossroads of the orient and the occident,
between Africa and Asia. The old city of Damascus is considered to be among the oldest continually
inhabited cities in the world. Excavations at Tell Ramad on the outskirts of the city have
demonstrated that Damascus was inhabited as early as 8,000 to 10,000 BC. However, it is not
documented as an important city until the arrival of the Aramaeans. In the Medieval period, it was
the centre of a flourishing craft industry, with different areas of the city specializing in particular
trades or crafts.
The city exhibits outstanding evidence of the civilizations which created it - Hellenistic,
Roman, Byzantine and Islamic. In particular, the Umayyad caliphate created Damascus as its
capital, setting the scene for the city's ongoing development as a living Muslim, Arab city, upon
which each succeeding dynasty has left and continues to leave its mark.

Babylon
Available historical resources suggest that Babylon was at first a small town which had
sprung up by the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC (c. 2000 BC). The town attained independence
as a small city state with the rise of the First Amorite Babylonian Dynasty in 1894 BC. Claiming to be
the successor of the more ancient Sumero-Akkadian city of Eridu, Babylon, hitherto a minor city,
eclipsed Nippur as the "holy city" of Mesopotamia around the time an Amorite king
named Hammurabi first created the short lived Babylonian Empire in the 18th century BC. It was
from this time that South Mesopotamia came to be known as Babylonia, and the city of Babylon itself
grew in size and grandeur.

ANCIENT EGYPT
GEOGRAPHICAL
Egypt consists of a narrow strip of fertile, alluvial soil alor1g both
banks of the Nile, flanked by shelves of barren land and rugged
cliffs, beyond which lie arid, desert, plateau. The Nile was a
trade route to Eastern and Western foreign trade and because of
its overflowing and fertilizing waters made desert sarids into
fruitful fields. On its banks therefore, the Egyptians sited their
villages and cemeteries.

Cities in ancient Egypt grew out of the development of agriculture


and the emergence of the state as the unifying and predominant
form of political organization. However, even as early as 3500
BC, towns and cities (if they can be called such), consisted of
regional capitals linked to the population centers of smaller
administrative districts. The term we most frequently apply to
these districts is nome, which was actually not used to describe a
province until the Greek Period. During the New Kingdom, the
Egyptian word for "city" was niwt, a term which in the earliest
texts of the 1st Dynasty refers to "settlement". As early as the 5th Dynasty, the term for a "town"
or large village was dmi. The term for "village", which was apparently linked to the word for
"household", was whyt.
Early prehistoric settlement sites in the Nile Valley vary in size from as little as about 16 meters.
The largest sites probably represent repeated occupations, with lateral displacement through
time. By contrast, the Predynastic villages were the result of permanent occupation with a
vertical build-up of deposits.
Later, other royal cities emerged to become royal capitals, though Memphis always seems to
have been an administrative
center. Tell el-Dab'a, located
in the northeastern Nile Delta,
was the residential site of
Egyptianized Canaanites and
elite Delta administrators. This
town was possibly established
on the site of an earlier estate,
established at the beginning of
the 12th Dynasty, as a royal
palace ofAmenemhet I. The
town became the capital city
of Egypt during
the Hyksos dynasty from
about 1585 to 1532, probably

because of its favorable location for trade with the coastal Levant and the administration of
mining activities in the Sinai. Then, this city's name was probably Avaris. Later, during the
Ramessid era, the new capital of Piramesses was located nearby.

Rectilinear plotting with the use of the plow suited all the needs of agriculture societies
on the Nile, Tigris, and the Euphrates river for easy land division for crop planning, land
ownership and land plotting and reapportionment after a flood.
3000 B.C.
Cities of Thebes and Memphis along the Nile Valley
- characterized by monumental architecture
- cities had monumental avenues, colossal temple plazas and tombs
- workers communities were built in cells along
narrow roads
Egyptian Civilization:
- No need for defensive walls
- Urban mobility
- Little evidence of controlled planning
- No zoning, no defined blocks for housing
- Social classes determined housing sites
- Workers camps
- Dependence on Nile River
- Egyptians built reservoirs to store water, and dug canals to carry it to the fields
2500 B.C.
Indus Valley (present day Pakistan)
Cities of Mohenjo Daro and Harrapa:
- administrative-religious centers with 40,000 inhabitants
- archeological evidence indicates an advanced civilization lived here as there were
housing variations, sanitary and sewage systems, etc.
1900 B.C.
Yellow River Valley of China

land within the passes. Precursor of Linear City.


800 B.C.
Beijing
founded in approximately same location its in today
- present form originated in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)
B.C. to A.D.
Elaborate network of cities in Mesoamerica were built by the Zapotecs, Mextecs, and
Aztecs in rough rugged land.
Teotijuacan and Dzibilchatun were the largest cities
ANCIENT GREECE
Greek cities spread to the Aegean region Westward to France and Spain
polis : defined as a city-state. Most famous is the Acropolis- a religious and defensive
structure up on the hills, with no definite geometrical plan
Neopolis and Paleopolis (new and old cities)
Sparta and Athens : the largest cities (100-150T)
Compact urban form
Never planned as a whole
Started with natural springs
Integration of social and civic life
Components
Acropolis
Main Harbors
Agora Complex
Cultural and leisure facilities
Acropolis- visible relationship between buildings and nature; sacred
Agora- buildings served as facades to form an enclosed urban space; grouped around
central open space
Hippodamus of Miletus (Father of Town Planning) - Greek Architect who emphasized
geometric designs grid pattern of streets. The first noted urban planner, he introduced
the grid system and the Agora (public marketplace)
Miletus: 3 sections: for artisans, farmers, and the military

ANCIENT ROME
Roman Cities : adopted Greek forms but with different scale- monumental, had a social
hierarchy
During the Etruscans reign, Rome grew into a great city built on seven hills along the
Tiber.
Vitruvius - 10-volume treatise De Arkitectura relates experience of Roman
architecture and town design; treats architecture and town design as a single theme;
suggested location of streets in relation to prevailing wind; the siting of public buildings;
the testing of drinking water; design of plazas
Organization of towns - a system of gridiron streets enclosed by a wall; theater, arena
and market were common places for public assembly
Perfected enclosed urban and architectural space collonaded plazas with a temple or
basilica at the end of the space.
Romans as engineers- built aqueducts (serving 200 cities), elaborate plumbing systems
for public baths, network of paved roads (covering 50,000 miles), drainage systems,
large open interiors for public gatherings
Romans incorporated public works and arts into city designs.
Romans as conquerors- built forum after forum
Developed housing variations and other spaces:
Basilica- covered markets; later, law courts
Curia- the local meeting hall; later, the capitol
Domus- traditional Roman house; with a central atrium
Insulae- 3 to 6- storey apartments with storefronts
MEDIEVAL AGES:
Decline of Roman power left many outposts all over Europe, where growth revolved
around either a monastery or castle, assumed a radiocentric pattern; relied on
protective town walls or fortification for security
Towns were fine and intimate with winding roads and sequenced views of cathedrals or
military fortifications
Sienna and Constantinople: signified the rise of the Church
Feudalism affected the urban design of most towns
11th century towns in Europe: Coastal port towns (many of these coastal towns grew
from military fortifications, but expansion was limited to what the city

could support)
Mercantilist cities : continuous increase in size
World trade and travel created major population concentrations like Florence, Paris, and
Venice
Growth eventually led to congestion and slums
RENAISSANCE & BAROQUE PERIODS:
Rebirth of classical towns ; piazza planning in Venice; grandeur in civic structure and
public spaces; streets were wide regular and circumferential with the piazza at the
center as in Italy.
- Piazza de San Antonio Marco
- Vatican Square
15th Century France: display of power
Arts and architecture became a major element of town planning and urban design
Geometrical forms of cities were proposed
Vienna emerged as the city of culture and the arts - the first university town
Landscape architecture showcased palaces and gardens
- Karlsruhe (Germany)
- Versailles (France)
Pierre Charles LEnfant - Prepared plan for Washington, DC.
- Axial plan of the Mall, Washington, D.C.: the Reflecting Pool and Lincoln Memorial
extend the central axis
ROME (1500s)
Leonardo da Vinci
In his Codex Atlanticus he described a new concept of urban planning that was suited
for Milan sketched a city straddling a river where upstream, the river was directed into
6 or 7 branches, all parallel to the main stream and rejoining it below the city.
1844:
Arturo Soria Y Mata Spanish Engineer
Suggested the idea of Linear City from Cadiz, Spain across Europe through St.
Petersburg, Russia in which he proposed that the logic of linear utility line should be the
basis of all city lay-out. Houses and buildings could be set alongside linear utility
systems supplying water, communications and electricity. Proposed high-speed, highintensity transport from an existing

N.A Milyutin, 1930 - Stalingrad


SETTLEMENTS IN THE AMERICAS:
Medieval Organic City
- taken after the boug (military town) and fauborg (citizens town) of the medieval
ages
Medieval Bastide
- taken from the French bastide (eventually referred to as new towns)
- came in the form of grids or radial plans reflecting flexibility
The Spanish Laws of the Indies town
- King Philip IIs city guidelines that produced 3 types of towns- the pueblo (civil), the
presidio (military), and the mission (religious)
The English Renaissance
- the European Planned City ex. Savannah (designed by James Oglethorpe),
Charleston, Annapolis, and Williamsburg (Col. Francis Nicholson)
- Today, Savannah is the worlds largest officially recognized historical district
Annapolis - government bldgs were focal points of the plan, though a civic square
was also provided
Williamsburg - plan was anchored by the Governors palace, the state capitol, and the
College of William and Mary
The Speculators Town
- developments were driven by speculation
- Philadelphia (built between the Delaware and Scool Kill) designed byWilliam Penn

Cities of the Ancient World: An Inventory (-3500 to -1200) by George


Modelski, University of Washington, 1997
Mesopotamia excerpted from Iraq: A Country Study by Helen Chapin
Metz, 1988
Sustaining
the
Fertile
Crescent
by
David
Michel
http://www.stimson.org/spotlight/sustaining-the-fertile-crescent-mind-...
The Natural History of Urbanization by Lewis Mumford, Chicago, 1956
Durant, W. Our Oriental Heritage. Simon & Schuster, 1954.
Hutchinson, R. The SAGE Encyclopedia of Urban Studies. SAGE
Publications, 2009. Page(s) 24-28.
Leick, G. The A to Z of Mesopotamia. Scarecrow Press, 2010.

www.ancient.eu.com/city/
Read more: http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/cities.htm#ixzz367hh2Nij

Kenyon, Kathleen Mary. Jericho: Digging Up Jericho (Praeger Publishing New


York, New York; 1957)
Garstag, John & Morgan Marshall The Story of Jericho (London, England; 1948)

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