Lecture 18: Contextualizing Cities (Greek and Roman)

IIT Roorkee July 2018

14 Aug 202136:03

EducationalLearning

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TLDRThis university lecture discusses the history and evolution of urban planning in ancient Greek and Roman civilizations. It examines the geography, key cities, economy, governance, philosophy, art, infrastructure, and social structures that characterized these societies. The lecture explores how concepts like democracy, citizenship, and public spaces emerged. It also analyzes issues like rapid urbanization and environmental damage. The session aims to derive learnings applicable to modern cities and planning.

Takeaways

😊 The timeline of ancient Greek history spans from 2700 BC (Minoan period) to 146 BC (end of Hellenistic period)
🌇 Key ancient Greek cities were Athens, Olympia, Sparta, Thebes, Delphi and Corinth which contributed to culture in philosophy, science, architecture etc.
🏛️ Athens advanced in agriculture, urbanization, central banking and coinage. Public spaces like the Agora provided urban life form and function
📜 Education focused on producing good citizens versed in diverse subjects like music, literature, politics etc. Language and writings advanced during this period
⚖️ Political transformation occurred from rule by kings to rule by the people and democracy
🏟 Spatial planning principles included the Acropolis, the Agora and surrounding Greek town structured in an organized hierarchy
🗺 Geographical extent of ancient Roman civilization spread across the Mediterranean basin covering present day Europe, Northern Africa and Middle East
🚰 Aqueducts and reservoirs were built across cities like Rome, Ephesus, Caesarea to provide water supply addressing large scale urbanization
👷 Technological skills advanced to develop better infrastructure, roads, bridges across Roman empire cities constructed along similar grid plans
📊 Census was carried out every 5 years for administration, military and taxation indicating organized record keeping and statistics

Q & A

What were the key cities in ancient Greece?
-The six major cities in ancient Greece were Athens, Olympia, Sparta, Thebes, Delphi and Corinth.
How did coinage and banks contribute to economic growth in ancient Greece?
-The introduction of coinage and currency ramped up economic growth by superseding the barter system and enabling the growth of cities.
What was the Agora in ancient Greek cities?
-The Agora was the most important gathering place in a Greek city. It started as an open area where the council of the city met to take decisions.
What led to the shift from kings' rule to democracy in Greek cities?
-The cultural shift as the gods of ancient Greece took the place of the Mycenaean rulers led to the change from kings' rule to democracy in Greek cities.
What were some key characteristics of spatial planning in Roman cities?
-Roman cities typically had a grid-like street pattern with two main avenues crossing each other. Public buildings and spaces like the forum, temples, stadium and markets were important elements.
How did the Romans ensure water supply to their cities?
-The Romans built aqueducts to carry water from distant springs to cities. The water was collected in reservoirs and distributed to houses and public fountains.
What was the role of the Senate in the Roman Republic?
-The Senate had 300 members elected by citizens to make laws and levy taxes. It was the most important institution in the Roman Republic.
What were some major art forms in ancient Rome?
-Some major Roman art forms were painting, portrait sculpture, and music. Roman painting was influenced by Greek styles while music accompanied many public and private events.
How was education system structured in ancient Rome?
-Roman education began around age 6 with basics like reading, writing and math. By age 12, students learnt Latin, Greek, grammar, literature, and public speaking.
What factors led to the decline of the Roman Empire?
-Reasons for the Roman Empire's decline included diminishing population, reduced frontier fortifications, high urbanization leading to land deterioration, and failure to manage the growing size of the empire effectively.

Outlines

00:00

😊 Greek Civilization Timeline and Context

This paragraph provides an overview of Greek civilization time periods and context. It covers the geographical spread across Greek mainland and islands, timeline from 2700 BC to 146 BC split into Hellenic, Classic, Archaic and Hellenistic periods. It also contrasts Hellenic Greeks before Alexander vs more influenced Hellenistic Greeks after his conquest.

05:02

😃 Transformation to Philosophy and Democracy in Greek Cities

This paragraph discusses the transformation to philosophy and democracy in major Greek cities like Athens. It highlights famous Greek philosophers who drove ideology shifts. It also covers the emergence of democratic polis structure centered around public spaces like agora.

10:02

🏛️ Spatial Planning in Greek Cities

This paragraph examines spatial planning in Greek cities. It contrasts organic layouts of old cities like Athens vs planned grids of new colonial cities. Common features included Acropolis fortresses, public agora and residential areas. Architecture focused on harmony with nature.

15:04

🚏 Legacy and Impact of Greek Civilization

This paragraph summarizes the legacy and impact of Greek civilization on language, politics, philosophy, science and architecture. It also covers the influence on subsequent Roman empire in adopting learnings related to spatial planning and architecture.

20:06

📜 Roman Civilization Geographical Spread and Timeline

This paragraph outlines the geographical spread and timeline of Roman civilization from 500 BC to 680 AD. It mentions influence on planning seen today and growth of empire centered around Mediterranean sea and Western Europe.

25:08

💧 Roman Water Supply and Sanitation

This paragraph examines Roman water supply and sanitation. It covers aqueducts built to serve swelling urban population and issues like water theft, inequities in access. It also discusses waste management via sewers and latrines draining into Tiber river.

30:08

🔀 Fall of Roman Empire and Social Structure

This paragraph analyzes factors linked to the fall of the Roman empire like shrinking fortifications, depleted populations in provinces. It also lays out the hierarchical social structure split between nobles, plebeians and slaves.

35:10

🏘️ Characteristics of Roman Town Planning

This paragraph describes characteristics of Roman town planning including grid road patterns, administrative buildings at intersections, neighborhood divisions. It also covers large scale urbanization and logistics of food supply for city populations.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡city-states

The city-states were political units made up of a city and surrounding lands, established around 8th century BC in ancient Greece. They were iconic of ancient Greek civilization, with their own philosophers, warriors and thinkers. For example, Athens was one of the major ancient Greek city-states.

💡agora

The agora was the most important public gathering space in ancient Greek cities. It started as an open area where the city council met to take decisions. This reflects the political transformation towards democracy in places like Athens.

💡acropolis

The acropolis referred to a fortified citadel located on a hill in ancient Greek cities. It contained temples and other religious buildings. The acropolis in Athens, for example, was a key religious center.

💡philosophers

Philosophers like Socrates, Plato and Aristotle were important figures who emerged from ancient Greece during its golden age. They made major contributions in areas like logic, politics and ethics that influenced later civilizations.

💡democracy

Democracy emerged as a system of governance in Greek city-states like Athens, indicating a shift away from rule by kings. This was an important political transformation that allowed greater participation of ordinary citizens.

💡aqueducts

Aqueducts were engineering marvels built by Romans to carry water over long distances into cities, for public fountains, baths etc. They indicate the Romans' efforts to provide amenities to urban populations.

💡republic

The Roman republic was a form of government established in 509 BC, where citizens elected representatives to make laws. This was a major political shift away from rule by kings.

💡urbanization

There were large, densely populated urban centers across the Roman empire, with Rome itself possibly having over 1 million inhabitants. Managing food, water etc. for these was complex.

💡forum

The forum was a public square or marketplace in the center of ancient Roman cities. Surrounded by government buildings and temples, they were hubs for daily life.

💡environment

Actions like deforestation and soil erosion from activities supporting large populations indicate environmental damage during the Roman period, which some consider contributed to the empire's decline.

Highlights

Timeline and geographical, socioeconomic and political context of Greek and Roman cities

Key transformations in the Greek civilization period including shift to religion and democracy

Athens was a major ancient Greek city advanced in areas like agriculture, urbanization and central banks

Introduction of coinage and currency in Greece ramped up economic growth by replacing barter system

Greek philosophers like Socrates, Plato and Aristotle made major contributions in areas like politics and science

Education's purpose in Greek cities was to produce good citizens trained in diverse areas

Roman civilization had large influence on planning seen in current times over 500 years

Romans built extensive infrastructure like aqueducts and roads to support large urban populations

Environmental damage from urbanization and deforestation contributed to the decline of the Roman Empire

The government transformed from a republic with elected representatives to an openly autocratic system

Romans had a highly structured hierarchical social organization divided into nobility, commoners and slaves

Romans developed better infrastructure and construction techniques than Greeks using advanced skills

Roman cities had typical structures like forums, temples, theaters arranged in planned grid road patterns

Schooling began around age 6 in Rome; oratory for public speaking was an important educational focus

Art styles in Rome showed Greek influences; evidence from Pompeii shows diverse cultural impacts

Transcripts

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