The Historiographic Evolution of Urban Space

(Ancient Urbanizations)

Sessions 2 and 3
PREVIOUS LESSON REVIEW:
What defines an Urban Space?

What are seven types of Planning?

Define Urbanization.

What is good urban design?

CLASSICAL CITIES
Did classical cities have the four bases
of an urban space?
 The most noted NORMATIVE ERAS
TRANSITION
OF URBAN SPACE PLANNING
ANCIENT

(2)
(1) (3) (4) (5)
Indus (6)
Fertile Egyptian Greek Roman
Valley Medieval Period
Crescent Kingdoms Civilizations Civilizations
Civilization
MODERN

MODERN

(7) (8)
POST-

Industrialization Globalization and the age of technology

Note: that we will tackle urban space as an amalgamation of

economic, physical, social, and political spaces, thus, not ALL
records of the earliest civilizations will be thoroughly covered in this
discussion.
 A quick recap of
early civilizations at
5000 BC
(1)
Fertile Crescent
(Mesopotamia)

(2)
Indus Valley Civilizations
(Mohenjo Daro and Harappa)

(3)
Catal Huyuk
(In present day Turkey)

Ancient China
Fertile Crescent

Indus Valley
(4)
Banpo (in present day China)

Photo cropped from p.6 Timeline: A Global History of Architecture by Mark Jarzombek, et al
 CATAL
HUYUK The physical growth of the
village was organic,
unplanned, and largely
influenced by defense
strategies.

Photo cropped from p.6 Timeline: A Global History of Architecture by Mark Jarzombek, et al
 HARAPPA

The most extant example

of an urban space during
the era of early ciivilizations

Photo cropped from p.6 Timeline: A Global History of Architecture by Mark Jarzombek, et al
 The urban spaces
Harappa are planned
with purpose,
motivated by
economics and
order.

Photo cropped from p.6 Timeline: A Global History of Architecture by Mark Jarzombek, et al
 Although dated later than Harappa,
MOHENJO the cities of Mohenjo-Daro show
DARO extant consciousness in Urban
planning across all fabrics.
 EVIDENCE to its URBAN FORM
URBAN AREA PHYSICAL BASE ECONOMIC BASE POLITICAL BASE SOCIAL BASE

Harrapa Regular Street Pattern Copper, gold, tin, silver

were brought from the
The theory was Estimated
(Paved)
(3000 BC) Nilgiri region of South that its priests 35 000
Dwellings were
India, Mysore, Rajputana,
Kashmir, Afghanistan and
were its leaders population
Located in characterized by Persia.
Present Day interior courts Some scholars believe
Silver and sapphire were that there was a
Pakistan “Sanitization was of a imported from Persia and prosperous and powerful
Afghanistan. ruling class in the Indus
high order”
cities who imposed their
brisk trade with Sumeria is domination on the rest. All
Dwelling Units had proved by the discovery men of the cities and the
drainages connected of numerous Indus seals in nearby areas did not
to the individual Sumeria. enjoy social and
houses economic equality. Those
Agricultural Economy; who lived in the upper
trade portion of the cities near
Varied House Designs the forts formed a ruling
class
Made of Masonry

IMPORTANTINDIA.COM
 HARRAPA

“Looking north along First Street. The area “Two

to the left has been fully excavated and structureS
the area to the right is unexcavated. Later with a hole
and drain
street levels are seen in the background.”
located are
Photo and text by JM Kenoyer
thought to
have been
toilets…”

Photo and text by

JM Kenoyer
“Looking south along
Street 3, which runs
parallel to First Street in
HR area. Agricultural
fields and scrub jungle
south of the site are
visible in the distance.”

Photo and text by JM Kenoyer

 (1)
Fertile
Crescent

BOUNDED BY
RIVERS TIGRIS
AND EUPHRATES

4000 BC (Bronze Age)

One of the most cited
beginnings of meaningful
Urban spaces

Image URL: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/HarranPlains/Images/fertile_crescent_350.jpg

Fertile Crescent
(Mesopotamia)

Note that the priority

for these civilizations
are (1) defense, (2)
power hierarchy, and
(3) protection of
resources
Mesopotamia
 A map of
Mesopotamia

Fig2.1 The Archaeology of City States

A clear emergence of
zoning between
“institutional” and
“residential” spaces
 EVIDENCE to its URBAN FORM
URBAN AREA PHYSICAL BASE ECONOMIC BASE POLITICAL BASE SOCIAL BASE
(examples)
SUMERIAN CITY City Center is Marketplaces; Population
KINGDOMS composed of Agricultural cities 3000 – 5000
ziggurats,
palaces, public Defense of Food
buildings,
marketplaces

BABYLONIA Built by Nebuchadnezzar II

(6th Century BC)
Population
marketplaces 10,000;

Agriculture paves
way to massive
settlements
 “A 1587 painting from an unknown
Flemish painter depicting the Tower of
Babel.”

“Now today it is called Etemanki and

it looks much like a ziggurat.
It is near the Hanging Gardens in
Babylon, Iran.”

http://bible.wikia.com/wiki/Tower_of_Babel
A map of ancient urban civilizations (in Blue).
(In Red) Formations of notable civilizations, but not complete urban fabrics
 (2)
Egyptian
Kingdoms
Tombs are the central
figures of Egyptian
town planning in the
ancient times
 EVIDENCE to its URBAN FORM
URBAN AREA
(example)
PHYSICAL BASE ECONOMIC BASE POLITICAL BASE SOCIAL BASE

City of Kahun Workers reliant on Pharaohs; military Complex Belief

(Modern name: El “Salary goods” i,e,. power Systems and rituals;
Lahun) Bread, meat, grains,
clothing; Defense of goods;
“Worker’s City”
Rise of complex
governments
 City of Kahun
“El Lahun”/“Worker’s City”

Home to the artisans and workers of the lllahun

(a.k.a. Lahun) pyramid (Pyramid of Senusret II).

Abandoned after the pyramids are completed.

Also referred to as a “Necropolis” or

“City for the dead”

Site is predominantly made of mud bricks, has a

Rectangular shape (350m by 400m), walled around
its perimeter and divided according to class.

(Housing Layout by Arthur N. Gallion “The Urban Planner”)

Rich residential
area:
“The Artisan’s
residences”

approximately
2,700 SQM

approx. 60
houses

(Housing Layout by Arthur N. Gallion “The Urban Planner”)

 Poor residential area :
“Workmen’s Houses”:

Approx 44 SQM

typical with two rooms on the ground floor access

to the flat roof (for living and storage space)

(Housing Layout by Arthur N. Gallion “The Urban Planner”)

 “9.0M streets all over the
city were laid out in straight
lines”

“1.5M alleys with ends as

culs-de-sacs”

”Streets had drainage

systems made of stone
running through the
middle.”

Present Day Ruins of the Pyramid of Senusret

(Photo by JJ Kap)
 Ancient China
(Longshan,
Yangshao and
Shijahe)

Defense and order

influence Chinese
civilizations or urban
congregations at
this time.
 ROMAN CIVIC
ARCHITECTURE

TRIVIA! - The Basilica is the

modern day equivalent of a
government service center
where ordinary citizens could
apply for licenses, jobs, etc.

Basically, the Curia is where noblemen talk about issues and the Comitium is
where the decisions are conveyed to the general public (plebs/plaebian).
ROMAN DOMESTIC ARCHITECTURE
INSULAE
High rise
apartments located
in the city, usually
clustered around
the courtyard. This
type of dwelling is
for the Plebs.
Ground level units
facing streets are
used for businesses
Insula of Diana, Ostia Antica (photo: Jean-
Pierre Dalbéra, CC BY 2.0)
Accessed khanacademy.org
Reconstruction drawing by Italo Gismondi. From left to right: Caseggiato del Serapide
(House of Serapides), Terme dei Sette Sapienti (Baths of the Seven Sages), Cas. degli
Aurighi (House of the Charioteers) (source)
Accessed khancademy.org
DOMUS VILLA
Found in the city, Located in the suburbs or away from city limits,
COMPLUVIUM
these are courtyard Villas are complex Garden Palaces for the rich.
houses for the middle
class Roman.
Included in the
courtyard house is the
Impluvium, a pool for
receiving water and Villa Oplantis, first
century C.E. with
the roof counterpart, later remodeling
Compluvium. The (source, CC BY-SA
2.0)
Atrium (upper left Khancademy.org
IMPLUVIUM photo) is where guests
are received, thus
heavily decorated
Plan of the Villa of the Volusii Saturnini, middle of the first century (source)
Photos from Accessed Khanacademy.org
Wikimedia
commons. For
illustrative purposes REFERENCE: Khan Academy, available at www.khanacademy.org, URL accessed:
only. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/roman/beginners-
guide-rome/a/roman-domestic-architecture-domus Accessed 2018
CLASS ACTIVITY (GRADED AS A QUIZ)

1. Group yourselves with a maximum of 4 students per group.

2. Pick any ancient settlement (prior to the industrial revolution)* from any part of the
world.
3. Discuss the physical, economic, social, and political bases of the settlement you
have chosen.

To choose your settlement, you may refer to the attached histomap.

Submit your findings in a paper, no more than 5 pages in length (see attached
format). All members of the group must submit the same paper in their own submission
bin.