Urban Planning & Ancient Athens | Greek Archaeology Episode 10

Folllowing on from the foundation of Greece Capital City in the Archaic Age, we see some truly remarkable urban planning and differentiation taking place in Classical Athens. In this video I give a general overview of the main walls and areas of the city from the Piraeus to the Agora and introduce Hippodamus of Mieltus, the Milenesian thinker credited with being the Father of Urban Planning, who's work we still use today to plan our Western Cities.
I also take a detour to the city of Olythnus to explore what it can tell us about craft specialisation & the Greek Middle Class, helping to contextualise Athens during this early Classical Period.
Overview of topics in this episode:
🏛️ Classical Athens -The architecture of Classical Athens, including the Agora, Acropolis, and extensive defensive walls.
🌉 City Gates and Roads -The famous city gates and the processional highways that connected Athens to its hinterlands.
🌆 Urban Planning -The contributions of Hippodamus of Miletus, the father of European urban planning, and his influence on Greek city layouts.
🏠 Olynthus -The well-preserved site of Olynthus which gives us insights into Classical urban life and the Greek middle class.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on Hippodamus and Athens! Let me know what you liked in the comments below.
Sources & Bibliography:
Alcock, S. 1993: Graecia Capta: the Landscapes of Roman Greece, pp. 1‑32, 33‑92, 93‑128, 172‑214
Robinson, D, Mylonas, G. 1929-1952. Excavations at Olynthus. In Johns Hopkins University studies in archaeology, no. 6, 9, 11-12, 18-20, 25-26, 31-32, 36, 38-39. 14 v. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press
Olynthus, vols. 1-14; J.W. Graham, Hesp. 22-23 (1953-54); Mabel Gude, History of Olynthus In Johns Hopkins Studies in Archaeology 17, 1933; Zahrnt 1971; N. Cahill, PhD diss. (UC Berkeley, 1991)
Camp, J. 2010: The Athenian agora. Site guide.
Osborne R. 2009: Urban landscape and architecture, in B. Graziosi, P. Vasunia and G. Boys-Stones (eds) The Oxford Handbook of Hellenic Studies, 239-247
The Olynthus Project: sites.lsa.umic...
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