Urban planning in the ancient Greek colonies from their foundation until the Roman conquest in the western and northwestern Black Sea region

 
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2015 (EN)

Urban planning in the ancient Greek colonies from their foundation until the Roman conquest in the western and northwestern Black Sea region

Dimanidou, Maria

This paper is going to focus on the Greek colonies of the Western and North- Western Black Sea region, from their foundation until the Roman conquest and especially on their poleis meaning the urban centers - synonymous with the Greek term asty. This is the part that was enclosed by a defensive wall and where the agora, the sanctuaries, the political institutions and the other public buildings were situated. The ancient Greek cities under discussion are Apollonia Pontica, Mesambria, Odessos, Dionysopolis, Kallatis, Tomis, Istros, Orgame, Berezan and Olbia. The reasons why Greeks chose the specific locations for each establishment are going to be investigated. The presence or not of local sedentary population and the kind of the relations between these people and the Greek settlers are of major importance, since they affected the economic and demographic growth of the newly-founded poleis. Political events and especially military operations may have also affected the level of urbanization and the management of the urban territory of the colonies. One other issue that will be examined is in which way the ancient Greeks organized the urban space and when and how these cities evolved into typical Greek poleis by acquiring all the characteristic Hellenic features. Which were the priorities of the settlers when founding a new colony and city? What was the initial size of these cities and how much did they grow? What kind of boundaries did they demarcate them from the rural territory? Where there any areas reserved for sacred or public spaces? Was economic prosperity reflected in the construction activity? What was the architecture of the public buildings like? By analyzing the urban structure of these ancient Greek poleis a lot of remarks can be made concerning religious, political, economic and social matters. However, a complete analysis would not be possible because there is a small number of archaeological evidence, since many of the ancient cities have been buried under the modern ones and large parts of them have been submerged into the water.

masterThesis

Urbanization--Greece--History
Dissertations, Academic
City planning--Rome--History
Urbanization--Black Sea Region
Urbanization--Rome--History
City planning--Greece--History


English

2015-05-31
2015-09-27T05:56:14Z
2015-05-31T15:49:45Z


ihu
School of Humanities, MA in Black Sea & Eastern Mediterranean Studies




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