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Urban Geography
Part 2
Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro were two of the first cities of the Indus River Valley.
- intricately planned
- houses equal in size
- no palaces- no monuments
Indus River Valley
Diffusion to Greece
• Knossos emerged as the leading city of the Minoan Civilization about 3,500 yrs. ago.
• Greece emerged as one of the most highly urbanized areas on earth with over 500 cities and towns by 500 BC
• Athens was the largest city in the world with 250,000.
• Each Greek city had an acropolis (high city) for defense.
• The most famous is the acropolis of Athens (447BC)
• Below the acropolis was the agora or market place
• Theaters, shops and stores of all kinds were available.
• Despite the modern features-sanitation was still primitive
Athens, Greece
above the acropolis
below-the agora
Roman Urban System
• The Romans created the largest urban system with an excellent transportation system
• The Romans were masters of engineering efficiency creating aqueducts, sewers, roads, bridges and great public buildings like arenas and baths.
• Roman cities had great contrast-great villas & spacious avenues, aqueducts, baths and sewers, yet also –
• Wretchedly poor housing in 4-5 story over-crowded tenements, dirty, noisy, crime-ridden streets and a population composed of ½ slaves.
• With the collapse of the empire the city of 1 ½ m. shrunk to less than 50,000
Urban Growth Elsewhere
• China-rapid growth in the Han Dynasty period-Xian became the Rome of East Asia.
• Timbuktu developed in West Africa in the 14th cent. While Meroe on the upper Nile developed advanced metallurgy.
• Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital was the most advanced city in the world with 100,000 by the 16th cent.
Huang He and Wei River Valleys
The Chinese purposefully planned their cities.- centered on a vertical structure- inner wall built around center- temples and palaces for the leadership class
Terracotta Warriors guarding the tomb of the Chinese Emperor Qin Xi Huang
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