1. Cities and Civilization

2. Earliest urban “hearths”
Turkey
Mesopotamia
Egypt
Indus Valley
Yellow River valley, China
Mesoamerica
Andean America
E. and S. Africa BC BC AD AD

5. Diffusion of urbanism
By urbanism we mean a way of life, a set of institutions, a kind of social organization
Invented various times and places
Diffused from each of these places to other places

6. Urbillum, Irbil, Erbil, Arbela, Arabilu
Under control of Sumerians, Persians, Macedonians, Ottoman Empire, Kurds & Iraq
Site continuously occupied for 8,000 years (underground water source)
Has been a city for 4,300 years!
Enormous “tell” has not yet been excavated

7. Civi… Civic, civilization, civilize, city, civility
These English words reflect the long association between ideas of urban life and a refinement of thought and behavior
All derive from Latin
Rulers of the Roman Empire saw city building as the way to spread civilization

8. Civil-izing viewed in retrospect
Urban life does not necessarily uplift the human spirit
The city becomes a second wilderness with its own predators & prey
Culture distracts and titillates us as often as it uplifts us
As we adapt to “second nature” we forget about our dependence on “first nature”

9. What does this sculpture “tell” us?
Found in excavation of Teotihuacan
Says two things about the division of labor
Says something about cultural development
Labor specialization leads to the development of skills as varied as stone-carving and acrobatic performance

10. Purpose of the city?
The city was invented not once but many times, and served various needs
Defense against outsiders
An immediate concern of agriculturalists surrounded by pastoralists and other less sedentary peoples
Ceremonial Center
Monumental architecture
Residences of priests and scribes
Place for conducting periodic ceremonies and rituals
Management of resources
Creation of irrigation systems, granaries, etc.
Collection of taxes/tribute for distribution to members of the court (sometimes after sacrifice to the gods)
Distribution of stored food to subjects in times of famine

11. Original Social Hierarchy in City
TINY MINORITY
God-King
Priests (doubled as administrators)
Technicians (e.g. surveyors, engineers)
Artisans & performers
Merchants
MAJORITY
Subjects (mostly peasant farmers)
Conquered peoples
Slaves

12. Characteristics of Early Cities
Early cities emerge at different times in different places (meaning of “early” varies)
Populations ranging from a few thousand to more than 100,000, but generally in the 7,000-20,000 range
Generally have Citadel with monumental architecture (temples, palaces)
Often surrounded by a city wall
Often have some form of record-keeping

13. Ziggurats (Mesopotamian temples)
A place for the performance of religious ceremonies by the Mesopotamian priests, including sacrifice of animals, fruit, and even beer!

14. The Forbidden City, Beijing

15. Mayan Temples
Place where priests carried out ritual human sacrifices of virgins, children or prisoners before throwing down the bodies

16. The “Citadel” Found in many early cities Takes various forms
A compound of grandiose structures, often walled off from rest of city
Functioned as:
place of ceremony
home for semi-divine leaders and their “court”
storage place for food reserves

17. “Mohenjo-Daro” (mound of the dead)
Harappan culture (Indus valley, in what is now Pakistan)
Peak around 2000 BC
About 35,000 residents
Assembly halls, giant granary, towers, and cistern (bath?) in the citadel
Planned
Axial layout
Covered sewers

18. Cosmo-Magical Order
Regular “grid-iron” layout was not originally designed for practical purposes
Cities like Teotihuacan, Roman colonies, and China’s Forbidden City were aligned with the cardinal directions (axially) in an attempt to make them eternal and powerful
The city, especially the citadel, was believed to be the center of the universe and axiality demonstrated that idea visually

19. “Teotihuacan” (Mexico)
Emerged as urban center around 0 AD
Lasted for more than 600 years
Influenced most of Mesoamerica
60-80,000 inhabitants
Apartment buildings, wide avenues, huge pyramids

20. The Forbidden City, Beijing (1420 AD)
An administrative and ceremonial center off limits to ordinary Chinese

21. “Pueblo Bonito” Chaco Canyon, NM
Built in stages beginning around 919 AD by the “Anasazi” people
5 stories in height along back wall, up to 600 rooms in use
occupants?
Access to rooms through central courtyard, which contained two great religious gathering places called kivas and was lined by over 35 smaller kivas