Graeco-Roman Cities

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the ancient and modern attitudes towards what is considered a city and then creates a 'model' based upon this discussion. It explores and compares the following features, in Greek, Roman and Hellenistic worlds: The concept of a relatively large, nucleated settlement, independence, autonomy and self-government, complex public space and buildings and identity. It also looks at the concepts of protective Gods and founding hero figures.

From the Paper:

"As established Pausanias earlier rejection of the "upstart" town, he advocated that he did not base any rejection on grounds of its small size. Aristotle concurs with this view of smallness, believing it to be a necessary condition . A great city is not to be confounded with a populous one. Babylon, to Aristotle, was a negation of a true city, a symbol of elephantiasis . Comparative demography of the modern Mediterranean has been used in league with average tribute assessments to ascertain the population of a region . Both cannot give us an absolute number of citizens for neither voting numbers take into account children, women and slaves nor can we be sure that they represent a typical turn out."

More papers on Graeco-Roman Cities:

• Essay # 35847 : "Greek and Roman Cities"
• Analytical Essay # 142389 : "The Collapse of the Roman Empire and Post-Roman Civilization"
• Comparison Essay # 5344 : "The Roman Empire vs The Chinese Empire"

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