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Cities and Civilization
TheDomestication of the Human Species
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SourcesLewis Mumford The City in History
V. Gordon Childe, “The Urban Revolution”
Lewis Mumford, “What is a City?”
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Diffusion of urbanismBy urbanism we mean a way of life, a set of institutions, a kind of social organizationInvented various times and placesDiffused from each of these places to other places
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Earliest urban “hearths”TurkeyMesopotamiaEgyptIndus Valley
Yellow River valley, ChinaMesoamericaAndean AmericaE. and S. Africa
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What’s in a word?Civic, civilization, civilize, city, civilityWhat’s the common thread?These English words reflect the long association between the idea of urban life and the idea of some kind of refinement of thought or behaviorAll of these words derive from LatinThe association is as old as the Roman empire: the Romans saw city building as the way to spread civilization
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Civil-izing viewed in retrospect
Does urban life uplift the human spirit?Is the city a way to escape from the grim struggle of nature with predators & prey?
As we adapt to “second nature” what happens to our relationship with “first nature”?
Is urban culture a step above folk dances, folk songs, traditional handicrafts and the rest of rural culture?
What is the point of overcoming the instincts bred in people over millions of years living in non-urban environments… is it worth the struggle?
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Who invented the city?The city was invented not once but many times in different Neolithic cultures. Ingredients:
Concentrated population
Social hierarchy & formal institutions
Defense against outsiders (wall)
Monumental architecture (temples, palaces)
Management of resources• Creation of irrigation systems, granaries, etc.
• Collection of taxes/tribute
• Distribution to members of the court
• Distribution to subjects in times of famine
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Characteristics of Early Cities
“Early” cities emerge at different times in different places
Populations ranging from a few thousand to more than 100,000
Often have city wall indicating need for defense
Have a Citadel indicating an aristocratic/priestly ruling class and more generally a social hierarchy
Most have record-keeping technologies (like counting devices or primitive forms of written notation) indicating that urban life requires record keeping
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Why is the wall integral to the earliest cities?
Earliest urban communities were surrounded by nomadic people coming and goingWild animals were common during early urbanization in most placesCities were known to have food and water, so in times of scarcity nomadic people often tried to raid citiesAs more cities developed, their kings began to lead raids on other cities for plunder, slaves, and territoryWalls might have helped control slaves and other urban residents who were less than willing to cooperate with the king and his forces
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Mesa Verde, Colorado
Early city or fortified village?
Largest cliff dwelling (Cliff Palace) had room for only 100-120 people
Essentially a village
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Urban Site Issues
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“Pueblo Bonito”
Chaco Canyon, NM, “Anasazi” peopleLarge village or small city built in stages beginning around 919 AD1000-2000 occupants, up to 600 rooms in use, 5 stories in height along back wallAccess to rooms through central courtyard, which contained two great kivas and was lined by over 35 smaller kivas
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“Teotihuacan” (near Mexico city)
Emerged as urban center around 0 AD and lasted for more than 600 years
60-80,000 inhabitants!
Boston didn’t reach this population until the 1830s
Apartment buildings, wide avenues, huge pyramids, districts with specialized functions
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“Avenue of the Dead,” Teotihuacan
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Architectural Detail, Teotihuacan
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What does this sculpture “tell” us?
Found in excavation of TeotihuacanSays two things about the division of laborSays something about cultural developmentSocial specialization
SculptorAcrobatAcrobat’s audienceSculptor’s “audience”/patrons
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What does this sculpture tell us?
Found in a Mayan archaeological site
Demonstrates both the role of the artist in serving and glorifying power, and the supreme power of the king
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What do these artifacts tell us?Found in a Mayan archaeological site
Prisoner and sacrificial victim demonstrate the link between urban culture and organized violence/warfare
Organized violence is not necessarily “uncivilized” (since it comes with civilization) although it is horrific
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Çatal HüyükIn what is today Turkey Population of between 5,000 and 6,000 people Inhabited around 6800-5400 B.C. Houses packed togetherEach house was entered through a hole in the roof (defense?)
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Urbillum, Irbil, Erbil, Arbela, Arabilu
Oldest city that is presently occupiedHas been a city for 4,300 years, creating an enormous “tell” that has not yet been excavatedWalled city on hill created classic urban formUnder control of Sumerians, Persians, Macedonians, Ottoman Empire, Kurds & Iraq
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“Mohenjo-Daro” (mound of the dead)
Harappan culture (Indus valley, in what is now Pakistan)Peak around 2000 BCAbout 35,000 residentsAssembly halls, giant granary, towers, and cistern (bath?) in the citadelAxial layoutCentrally planned (similar to other Harappan cities)Covered sewers!
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Harappan cities (artist’s conception)
Jonathan Mark Kenoyer, University of Wisconsin - Madison
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ZigguratsZiggurats (Mesopotamian temples)
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Assyrian conquest, 9th c. BC
Women and children celebrate outside their walled-city as the dead float by
City has always required defending
Mumford suggests that people were not psychologically and culturally prepared for the regimentation and social stress of urban life so they took out their tension and aggression on other groups
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Assyrians taking captivesfrom a 9th c. BC engraving (source: Society of Ancients: http://www.soa.org.uk)
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The “Citadel”
Found in many early citiesTakes various formsA compound of grandiose structures, often walled off from rest of cityFunctioned as:
place of ceremonyhome for semi-divine leaders and their “court”place to store (and guard) the food reserves
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“Mohenjo-Daro” (mound of the dead)
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Social HierarchyLarge population concentrations both facilitated and necessitated specialization of social roles
Ruler (usually thought to have god-like powers)Priests (doubled as administrators)Technicians (e.g. surveyors, engineers)Artisans & performersMerchants Subjects (mostly farmers)Conquered peoplesSlaves
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Cosmo-Magical OrderRegular “grid-iron” layout was not originally designed for practical purposesCities like Teotihuacan, Roman colonies, and China’s Forbidden City were aligned with the cardinal directions (axially) in an attempt to make them eternal and powerfulThe city, especially the citadel, was believed to be the center of the universe; its axiality demonstrated that idea visuallyEarly cities show extensive evidence of sacred places in the form of shrines, temples, etc.
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TokensTokensUsed from 8,000 BC throughout the Middle East into Indus Valley
Represented goods that were traded or collected as tithes (taxes of produce)
Grain
Oil container
Wool fleece
Garment
Etc.
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Early writing systemsMayan hieroglyphs
Egyptian hieroglyphsCuneiform (Sumerian)
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Role of Record Keeping
Early urbanism is associated with record keeping of various kinds
This permitted the extension of control through space and time
Conquest & empire
Long-distance administration and military coordination
Dynasties & legal codes
Solidification of trade agreements
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Urban Cultural AchievementsPrimitive forms of notationNutritional securityRefinement of handicraftsArt AstronomyMathematics Warfare (achievement?)Religious elaboration and regimentation (achievement?)
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Websites that were helpfulCatal Huyuk: http://campus.northpark.edu/history/classes/Sources/CatalHuyuk.htmlTeotihuacan: http://archaeology.la.asu.edu/teo/intro/citymp1.htmCahokia: http://medinfo.wustl.edu/~mckinney/cahokia/site.htmlTikal: http://mayaruins.com/tikal/Tikal_InnerMap.htmlMohenjo-Daro: http://emuseum.mnsu.edu/archaeology/sites/middle_east/mohenjo_daro.html