Term
Classical foundations
What were the major “replicable” features of the built environment of Greek city-states? |
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Definition
| Most Greek cities were built on defensible sites and walled, many dominated by an acropolis (defensive site) beneath which the city developed, an agora: an open space that served as a combination market, public forum, and casual meeting place for people accustomed to carrying out their daily business and social activities outdoors, residential quarters: cramped, tangled, simple houses, walls built around the outside of the building area that served as the first line of defense, stadia and theatres for public entertainment and exercise |
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Term
Classical foundations
How large were the Greek city-states and how were they distributed; to what degree was the environment an influence on their size and distribution? |
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Definition
Almost all the city-states were small with around 12-20,000 people, Athens was the biggest with 200,000 people, usually located on small plains tucked between the mountains and the sea, economies relied on agricultural, Used the environment to their advantage for defense.
classical foundations |
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Term
Classical foundations
How did Roman cities differ from Greek city-states in terms of their function (purpose), and in; terms of their built environment (e.g., architectural forms, building materials, layout)? |
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Definition
Romans learned from the Greeks but used their cities in a different way, Greeks had smaller, independent self governing settlements, territories with urban core, used trade. Romans had larger cities, connected cities to fall under one empire, dependent, could be involved in trade, main purpose of city was to link diverse and subservient populations administratively to the center of power
classical foundations |
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Term
classical foundations
What were the unique site and situation characteristics of Rome? |
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Definition
Originally a small settlement of hills, united into an urban center which came to rule a large empire, located where 3 cultures came together ? East Greeks: learned finer point of culture and development, North Etruscans: city builders, learned some urban technique, strong military, and West Carthaginians: traders of valuables, learned sea trade from them
Originally the center of Rome had an acropolis, a swamp was drained to develop a civic center (agora) that Romans regularized into an orderly rectangular space, a wall eventually built around wall which wasn’t done at first because the city didn’t believe in defenses LOOK OVER NOTES FOR THE REST OF THIS
classical foundations |
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Term
classical foundations
How large a city did Rome become in classical times? |
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Definition
Rome became known as the parasite, it grew to be enormous, the population exceeded 1 million, the city didn’t produce much at all, though and a large amount of the population was jobless, there needed to be a lot of goods brought in to Rome
classical foundations |
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Term
classical foundations
Greek polis |
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Definition
| classical foundations definition: Greek city-state, reached height of development in fifth century B.C., relatively small places, replicable form, independent self government settlement that incorporates a nearby land that is usually by sea, smaller (15-20,000), Athens was biggest at 200,000, located on heightened land |
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Term
classical foundations
Acropolis: |
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Definition
classical foundation definition:
defensive site, fortified height of land, most famous was in Athens (Mycenaean Palace), Parthenon is the main feature of acropolis |
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Term
classical foundations
Agora |
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Definition
| classical foundations definition: Open space provided for gatherings, idea of the civic center ? central market place to city, meeting place for people to carry out their daily business and social activities outdoors, covered by a stoa |
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Term
classical foundations
Stoas |
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Definition
| Classical foundations definition: shallow building with a back wall, roof projects out with two rows of pillars holding it up, sheltered area for gathering. Long open-fronted buildings framed by colonnades and used for conducting business of various kinds |
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Term
classical foundations
The Greek colonial movement |
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Definition
| classical foundation definition: many city-states sent out colonists who carried their urban culture and institutions far beyond the Greek homelands, occurred between 734 and 585 B.C., established Greek outwards to coast of Africa, around Black sea, Western Mediterranean, and exported greatly |
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Term
classical foundations
the Roman forum(s): |
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Definition
| classical foundations definition: Heart of public life in the ancient city, built on a marshy valley between the hills of Rome, immense complex, built outward and eachnew part named to the present emperor, eventually a huge space of multiple fora, each was rectangular with an attempt to build bigger than before, Trajan’s forum was the biggest forum with basilica built upon it, with a column and temple in his name |
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Term
classical foundations
Monumental architecture in Rome |
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Definition
| classical foundations definition: successive emperors went to great lengths to outdo predecessors, forever adding new fora, triumphant arches, and victory columns to the center of the imperial capital, even stooping at times to the practice of stripping the monuments of their predecessors of the building materials, sculptures, and medallions needed to complete their own projects, finding new space in the center of the city for the construction of new buildings and monuments soon became a major problem. |
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Term
classical foundations
The Roman Colosseum |
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Definition
| classical foundations definition: stood nearly 50 meters tall, outside consisted of three arcaded facades and an attic story, from which the velarium (great canopy that shaded the spectators) was hung, special unit of the Roman navy, whose job was to unfurl and secure the canvas was permanently stationed here, originally a standing Greek theatre seated 50, 000, wooden floor in center with trapped doors, animal cages, aimed at education the population, poorer classes sat towards the top, copied in about every Roman city (France, Italy) |
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Term
classical foundations
Roman residential quarters |
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Definition
| classical foundations definition: Rich population lived in villa, which was an atrium (entrance hall) style, entered at one end, rooms around, elegantly appointed with tile mosaics and marble wall facings, gardener space in center, had running water, space for dining, and central heating. Poor population lived in tenements, apartment buildings, Rome has 47,000, can be 4-10 stories, substandard materials? often collapsed, crowded small quarters, higher the floor, the smaller the space, the poorer the conditions, unsanitary conditions |
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Term
classical foundations
Insulae (Roman apartment dwellings) |
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Definition
| classical foundations definition- see above... Roman residential quarters? |
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Term
classical foundations
Villas (elite dwellings) |
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Definition
| classical foundations definition: see above-- roman residential quarters? |
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Term
classical foundations
Roman Engineering |
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Definition
| classical foundations definition: water brought from great distances via the aqueduct and then was directed through open channels and lead pipes to street fountains, public baths, and private houses, surplus used for cleaning the streets, invested heavily in massive engineering works intended to supple the city with water and discharged its waste, underground sewers took waste away, Pont du Gard in France still stands today, Spain has Segovia which has a trough built on top, water flows through from the mountains, rich tried to tap into the water system at night and water police maintained this |
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Term
classical foundations
aqueduct |
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Definition
| classical foundations definition: brought water into city from tens of kilometers away |
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Term
classical foundations
defenses |
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Definition
| classical foundations definition: little invested during the height of the Roman Empire, few towns were walled until late in Roman period, due to fact that empire was long able to ensure relative peace and safety (Pax Romana), thus main focus of defensive construction took place on military frontiers, forts and ditches were developed there, later were threat of barbarian invasions so constructed a massive Aurelian Wall which survives to present day, helped to bring about a separation of city and countryside that would characterize Middle Ages |
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Term
classical foundations:
the urban importance of the Roman frontier |
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Definition
| classical foundations definition: Ran along the Danube and Rhine, area behind it was important to the Empire, manufacturing occurring there, is defended in depth, resulted in building of cities directly behind the frontier. Empire defined today, begins in Britain, runs down the Rhine and across the alps |
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Term
classical foundations
roads
(bridges too...but no definition) |
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Definition
| classical foundations definition: linked cities together, engineered together by the transportation system, gravel foundation that was paved, many are still around today |
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Term
Medieval towns and cities:
What effect did the Dark Ages have on European urbanization (what happened then to Roman towns and cities)? |
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Definition
Medieval towns and cities:
The dark ages was a period of stagnation and decline, population shrunk down to a number the could fit inside the coliseum, Med South suffered the least ? continued to be occupied to carry on urban functions, even though population may have declined. Elsewhere: devastating effects, ? some cities ceased to exist, small populations behind sheltered behind defensive walls. People lived more or less self- sufficiently on land with few social, economic, and political relationships that extended beyond locality, kin, and tribe. City in dark ages rose alongside a predominantly rural society |
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Term
Medieval towns and cities:
How large were medieval towns and cities? |
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Definition
Medieval towns and cities:
Grew largely by immigration, vast majority remained small, around 50,000, modest-sized cities were 10,000 to 25,000, |
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Term
Medieval towns and cities:
What was the major function of medieval towns |
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Definition
Medieval towns and cities:
The medieval town was located next to a castle for protection, strategic for trade, (Defense ? safest places in Europe were behind walls of Roman settlements, these places of refuge became focal point where urban settlement developed. Rise of local market ? series of economic developments, there was an extension of arable land and improvements in husbandry, which led to food surpluses and renewed population growth. |
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Term
Medieval towns and cities:
How were they different and separate from the rest of European society (the feudal countryside) |
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Definition
Medieval towns and cities:
Curtain wall |
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Term
Medieval towns and cities:
How can the city walls and gates be seen as symbolic of this difference? |
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Definition
Medieval towns and cities:
Symbolic demarcation point, walls separated town politically, economically, and socially from surrounding countryside, was a symbol of town’s individual identity and independence, gates were key places where the worlds of townspeople and outsiders of all kinds met and where interactions between were not controlled by customs and tolls |
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Term
Medieval towns and cities:
What do we mean when we refer to the layout of most medieval towns as “organic”; were there exceptions to this organic layout? |
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Definition
Medieval towns and cities:
Towns were often on slopes, the form of the town was often organic in that streets and valleys followed the contours of the land |
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Term
Medieval towns and cities:
What were the major built environment features of European medieval towns (e.g., site, walls, markets, churches, streets, area beyond the walls, etc.)? |
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Definition
Medieval towns and cities:
Site: meander, organic (adopting town to the topography), located on rivers for trade, often where roads crossed rivers; Defense: citadel, curtain wall, gates, curtain wall circumvented the area of the town and was embedded with towers and gates, controlled traffic; Public Foci: market square and church square, religion and market activities separate, getting own place within town, sometimes coincided but separated in most, rivalry for control between areas because of this, around the market square there were market halls that were used for coverings and guilds used to regulate the activities in the town; Quarters and parishes: economic and religious divisions of the town; Extramural zones: within or beyond walls, built to include large enough space so there would be open space inside the walls, there were open spaces outside walls for food supply, activities such as slaughtering cattle down outside, lepers outside, locations of convents (mostly because they came into town after it was built) outside, and executions grounds also outside, over time it was common to move walls to impose larger space and create new extramural zones (most cities had to do this), London did not do this ? so many convents outside walls that it was impossible to expand. |
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Term
Medieval towns and cities:
What powerful organizations came to control the trade and production activities of medieval towns? |
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Definition
Medieval towns and cities:
Italian trading towns and Flemish cloth towns |
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Term
Medieval towns and cities:
How important was the church? |
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Definition
Medieval towns and cities:
Big land owner, acquired land in return for salvation, used its wealth and power to build monumental churches, responsible for social welfare: hospitals, leper homes, poor houses; church built to reflect importance and power of town’s religious establishment, one of largest and most impressive structures, |
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Term
Medieval towns and cities:
Why were ‘towers’ such a distinctive feature of Italian towns? |
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Definition
Medieval towns and cities:
For town’s most important and often feuding families, emblematic of the fact that the nobility were more likely to settle in Italian towns, where they took readily to commerce and finance, and competed incessantly with one another for control of town affairs. |
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Term
Medieval towns and cities:
What were densities like in medieval towns |
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Definition
Medieval towns and cities:
Densities along streets were high, towns contained plenty of open space and on the whole were not usually crowded, open space meant agriculture could be part of economy; so much development that houses had very narrow fronts, green space behind houses with pigs, gardens, orchards, “healthy compared to renaissance and baroque |
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Term
Medieval towns and cities:
How did this differ from later eras, and why? |
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Definition
| Medieval towns and cities: |
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Term
Medieval towns and cities:
dark ages |
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Definition
Medieval towns and cities:
period of stagnation and decline, population shrunk |
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Term
Medieval towns and cities:
Flemish cloth towns: |
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Definition
Medieval towns and cities:
structure of commerce and trade, from Belgium and northern France, supplies of wool and textile, traded back and forth between Italian trading towns |
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Term
Medieval towns and cities:
Italian trading cities |
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Definition
Medieval towns and cities:
: involved in banking, commercial trade, easy access to Constantinople and western Mediterranean, control of alpine castles, dominate trade, structure of commerce and trade |
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Term
medieval towns and cities
the Hanseatic League (Hansa): |
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Definition
medieval tows ad cities:
German towns that together traded and exported to the Flemish and Italian towns |
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Term
Medieval towns and cities:
curtain walls: |
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Definition
Medieval towns and cities:
military defense, symbolic demarcation point, countryside obligated to serve, town located inside to trade |
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Term
Medieval towns and cities:
gates and barbicans: |
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Definition
Medieval towns and cities:
important, one place where people could get in and out, families often took possession of them, controlled it, was very profitable, became more elaborately defended over time ? closed at night, small opening only open at night, mesh helped protect it; Barbican? round castle that sits right in front of the gate, very difficult to rush the gate |
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Term
Medieval towns and cities:
market squares: |
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Definition
Medieval towns and cities:
Surrounded by guild houses, still headquarters for economic activity, public foci, site of weekly market and fair, more originally open-air, many embellished with market hall |
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Term
Medieval towns and cities:
town halls: |
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Definition
Medieval towns and cities:
fronted on the market square and sometimes provided space on the ground floor for market activities; Italian town halls frequently built at least partially with defensive needs in mind and typically sported tall watchtowers |
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Term
Medieval towns and cities:
guild halls: |
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Definition
Medieval towns and cities:
surrounded the market square, exclusive associations of merchants or craftsmen that attempted to control the conditions of trade and production for the benefit of their members through various regulations and restrictions |
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Term
Medieval towns and cities:
extramural zones |
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Definition
Medieval towns and cities:
: everything that didn’t go on inside the town ? public execution, cattle slaughtering, lepers, convents |
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Term
Medieval towns and cities:
meander sites: |
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Definition
Medieval towns and cities:
meander sites: Towns on slopes, streets and valleys followed the contours of the land, form of the town was organic, adopting town to topography |
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Term
Medieval towns and cities:
Bastides: |
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Definition
Medieval towns and cities:
exception to the organic town, founded not for commercial reasons but for military reasons, fortified towns located at the edge of political territories |
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Term
Medieval towns and cities:
public works (bridges, water and sewage, port facilities, weights and measures), residential quarters: |
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Definition
Medieval towns and cities:
civic center responsible for this all: bridges were important because towns were always built on rivers, needed bridge to cross it (often rented out and built upon), weights and measures ? rules and punishments, measuring out cloths, counting money; water and sewage ? water carriers employed, bucketed water and delivered it to residential districts; warren ? quarters and streets, little travel during day because shops filled streets; North European townhouse ? social integrated, people smaller, overhang kept floors from sagging; Medieval Mediterranean townhouse ? focus on inner courtyard, defensive, uninviting, multiple families |
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