Largely uninhabited desert Cee Slavic tribes Germanic tribes 174 Trade routes in Europe and western Asia, nd and Sr centuries CE ROMAN EMPIRE ‘The Roman Republi (509 BCk-27 ace) focused largely on the Mediterranean, especially once Rome took over Greece in 146 BCE. But wth the Gaulle Wars and. the conquest of northern territories, Rome Could combine trade over bath sea and land, ‘And though this was perhaps the vision of Caesar, the process of fusing everything into 2 single imperial unit, rather than 9 network of unequal principalities, would ultimately be completed by Caesar's successor, the ‘emperor Augustus. The land/Sea combination was the first such empire at that scale. By the 2nd century cE, the empire extended north all the way fo England. Under Hadrian, North ‘Arica was absorbed. inroads were made into westem Asia in order to secure trade links tothe East. The eastern reaches of the empire were defined by older cities like Petra, Antioch, and Alexandria as well as by newly ‘expanded cites like Palmyra and Duros Europus. ‘The development of cities was now at its peak, and the consequences can be seen ‘throughout Europe and the Mediterranean, “The lst of Roman foundations includes ‘Aosta, Bordeaus, Florence, London, Mainz, Mantua, Pais, Milan, Sichester (Hampstite, England, Tier, Cologne, Turin, Verona, and 202 Vienna, to name only a few. Many cites, like Florence, Milan, Pais, and Tie, stil cary the imorint of the Roman grid t this day. “Though the paradigm for the city was the castrum, or miltary camp, which vas dvded by tao intersecting main tect, the cardo (north-south) and clecurmanus (eastest), this ‘adel was used mainy inthe intial phases of the colonization in Europe and North Africa. In Europe, though some of the Gault cies remained in use, many, because they were fon hiltoes, were evacuated by the Romans, who preferred valleys and rver towns, which vere easier to defend and more amenable to Roman practices of camp organizaten, Bibract, for example, was abandoned and the new city of Augustodunum, now known a Autun, was buit ia the nearby valley, The castrum model, however, was rarely used in the East, where cities were already well established. There, the Romans simply ado. ta wat they found. Regardless of whether the castrumt model was used or net, the Roman method of creating cities can be compared With that ofthe Chinese. The Chinese were ‘specials in megacites, concentrating huge Populations and bringing a large spectrum ‘of activities into the confines af the ely nal, Chinese cities were largely composed of one- ‘or two story houses and were thus nat very dense, The Romans specialized in com small-scale cites networked across the landscape, This allowed for easy expansion and was a critical element in their success, “The Romans became experts in water ‘management, building extensive squed many of which have lasted into the madem, world, The Pent du Gard in modern-day southern France and the equally impress ‘Acueducta de Los Nliagros in Mérida, Spai ate testaments to the boldness ofthese but also magnificent public baths, which: ‘among the largest public buicing inthe atthe time, North Attica isan excellent place to Roman urban concepts; it supplied the pital wih staple cops and luxury good Hadrian was eager to develop this area ar offered free tenancy and a period of tax ‘exemption to anyone who would agree to reside permanently on marginal land and ‘under cultwation, It was a successful that encouraged the establishment of rua trading centers, many of which developed Into urban environments. In sore places. 2 new town was founded, lke Timgad, 2 sridded city roughly the size of Florence; it others, such as at Leptis Magn, an exist Phoenician city (east of Tripoli), the plan adopted a flexible and additive approach. Raman cities were more diferentiatec than Greek cities, which were usually dofined by @ central public area and temy precincts, A Roman city hed streets, sa fountains, baths, gates, memorial column and public buildings that formed a type of armature around which the rest ofthe city grew. A the core ofthe city was the forum, the political and economic center the city's activities. Pubic ceremonies and announcements took place there, and ar it were ranged temples, offices, jis, butch shops, and law courts ‘At Pelnnyra end Ostia we can see the attempt to graft this armature onto places had been founded at an earier dat, whe they were more towns than cities, Diem in Algeria (96 C2, is typical its elongated shape isa result ofthe terrain. The ist, ofthe city to the north shows a relatively systematized layout, with the forum atthe center ofthe town along the main road. B ‘when that proved inadequate, a new for temple, and theater were builtin 2 sou75 Principal tompe of Djeia, Algeria tetension that followed the curves ofan existing road, Though mead (100 BCE) is often given 2s a typical example of the rigorous application ofthe grid, the cxiginal town soon outgrow its borders. In fect, the elaments ofthe armature that were orginaly left out of the Gesign—the baths, the gates, even a capialiume—were grafted onto the fabric ofthe city once ithad proven its success. A new arch, the Lambaesis Gate, demarcated the limits ofthe development, These Urban extensions show a willingness to negotiate with the landscape and existing features such as roads, In some places, the Romans were even wilng to work within the Hellenistic design mold; the most spectacular examales ofthis are at Ephesus and Miletus, 727 Main oad of Tinga, A EUROPE 7.6 Plan of tee Roman towns drawn at the sample scale and erie 203,7.10 Theater at Ephesus 208 7.9 Area plan of Ephesus Ephesus Ephesus, a small town and religous center (on the shores of the Cayster River near is mouah on the Turkish coast, was settled in the 9th century BCE and began to develop into an important por, Because the river was siting over, the city was abandoned and rebuilt tits current locaton 2 kilometers to the east around 270 cc, It was designed not from the top down, as was but horizontally in a protected, curving vallay that opens in dramatic fashion onto the new harbor. By the end ofthe Sth century cE, the ort of tis ety, just ike that ofthe fist ene, sited up and the city fll nto disuse. Teday the harbor is § kilometers inland. ‘When the Romans took over the ely in the first century BC, they began the process of Romanization, adding temples, baths, fountains, paved streets, and libraries. When ‘Augustus became emperor in 27 aCE, he ‘made Ephesus the capital ofthe Roman holdings in western Asia Minar. Ephesus then entered an era of prosperity, becoming bath the seat ofthe governor and a major center of commerce. According to Strabo, it was second in importance and size only to Rome The Library of Celsus (ca. 115 ce) was bull to store 12,000 serols and had an elegant facade with four sets of marble column pairs that framed acdiculze and windows,