Urban Design History. Mesopotamia Egypt. Grigor Doytchinov. Institute of Urbanism

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1 Urban Design History Grigor Doytchinov Mesopotamia Egypt Institute of Urbanism

2 Leonardo Benevolo - storia della citta cities still remain specifically historical creations. They have not always existed; they began at a certain period in the evolution of society and can equally be ended or radically transformed at another. They came into being not as a result of any natural necessity, but as a result of an historical need, and they will continue only for as long as this need persists.

3 Development of settlements in Eurasia

4 The development of urban civilization

5 Fertile Crescent pre-urban settlements after the ice age (8000 BC) cultivation possible without hydrotechnical constructions

6 Jericho in Levant - remains of the town wall (town from 8000 to 6000 BC) Jericho is believed to be one of the oldest continuously-inhabited cities in the world, with evidence of settlement dating back to 9000 BC 4 ha fenced by town walls est. 800 people no evidence of keeping of animals and useful plants hardly any evidence of trade mighty town wall (clay bricks) elaborate dead masks

7 The Ancient Middle East - Mesopotamia (Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian and Assyrian empires) Dyala Basin Survey shows that the cities developed out of a multitude of villages before the development of irrigation systems

8 The Cities of Sumer The Sumerians developed a number of cities surrounded by agriculture. They shared the same culture, but organized themselves independently. They developed their own governments, so we call them a city-state. (much like an independent country today) At the center of each city was a temple with a ziggurat. Priests and priestesses, as well as rulers, were very powerful. In times of war a commander was chosen to lead. Eventually, military leaders were given full control by priests and people because wars became more frequent. They had control of organized armies, and began passing their power on to their children. A dynasty would emerge when a succession of family members ruled. Ideas and products were exchanged as more cities grew in the Fertile Crescent. This started a process of cultural diffusion. The major city-states in Sumer were: Ur, Kish, Lagash, Nippur, Uruk and Eridu. In Sumer the writing was called cuneiform which means wedge-shaped - Keilschrift

9 Uruk - ancient city of Sumer and later Babylonia (zenith 2900 to 2300 BC) 500ha est Einwohner 9.5km city wall with 900 Bastions biggest city of its time

10 Uruk started with the Zikkurat and the tempel complex no housing districts but many villages in the catchment area settlements in the neighborhood were abandoned - number decreases from 146 to 26 settlements - unclear reasons Epic of Gilgamesh the greatest surviving work of early Mesopotamian literature. In the epic his father was Lugalbanda and his mother was Ninsun a goddess. Gilgamesh is described as two parts god and one part man. Gilgamesh is credited with the building of the legendary walls of Uruk

11 Ur - plan with the temple complex, two harbours and some housing districts (Sumerian capital at 2100 BC) 75ha est people 2 harbors around 2500 BC 4/5 of the inhabitants lived in cities - later (1000 BC) this ratio went down to 1/6

12 Ur - the temple complex Ur became the capital of the whole of southern Mesopotamia under the Sumerian kings of the 1st dynasty of Ur (25th century bc). Excavation of a vast cemetery from the period preceding that dynasty (26th century) produced royal tombs containing almost incredible treasures in gold, silver, bronze, and semiprecious stones, showing not only the wealth of the people of Ur but also their highly developed civilization and art. Not the least remarkable discovery was that of the custom whereby kings were buried along with a whole retinue of their court officials, servants, and women, privileged to continue their service in the next world

13 Ur - The Great Ziggurat (shrine of the moon god Nanna, 21st century BC)

14 Ur - housing district

15 Ur - courtyard house

16 Ur 600 to 400 BC But Ur was now thoroughly decadent; it survived into the reign of Artaxerxes II, but only a single tablet (of Philip Arrhidaeus, 317 bc) carries on the story. It was perhaps at this time that the Euphrates changed its course; and with the breakdown of the whole irrigation system, Ur, its fields reduced to desert, was finally abandoned. Discoveries made on other sites have supplemented the unusually full record obtained from the Ur excavations. Knowledge of the city s history and of the manner of life of its inhabitants, of their business, and of their art is now fairly complete and remarkably detailed.

17 Babylon - reconstruction (capital in the Old Babylonian period 1830 to 1531 BC) Old Babylonian period: no aristocracy but civil servants, priests and entrepreneurs trade and craft no market - squares visible in the city fabric - prob. roofed bazar types

18 Assur (Assyrian city, sometimes capital, founded 1900 BC, destroyed 614 BC) Assyrian cities - on trading routes - area less fertile than the south main centers for trade - gain their wealth not from the surplus of the region but from tributes

19 Assur The site was originally occupied about 2500 bc by a tribe that probably had reached the Tigris River either from Syria or from the south. Strategically, Assur was smaller and less wellsituated than Nimrūd (Kalakh) or Nineveh, the other principal cities of Assyria; but the religious sanctity of Assur ensured its continuous upkeep until 614 bc, when it was destroyed by the Babylonians. A part of the city was later revived about the time of the Parthian conquest of Mesopotamia in the middle of the 2nd century bc.

20 Assur - housing district city structure is based on the housing structures and not so much on the network of the streets

21 Babylon (capital of the Neo-Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzar II., 604 to 561 BC) capital city 400 ha, people square shaped, divided by the river Euphrat

22 Babylon - Merkes quarter orthogonal streets alignment of the streets follow the main wind directions

23 Babylon - palace

24 Babylon - remains of the Ishtar Gate its walls decorated with enameled lions. Passing through the Ishtar Gate, adorned with enameled bulls and dragons

25 Summary of Mesopotamian cities walled temple and palace dominated cities, no comprehensive planning of the layout no fixed situations for the temple and palaces - since 1800 BC mainly at the city walls in NW best air ventilation - best city quarters tempel on platforms (holy mountain) irregular arranged no systematic relationship between buildings housing - small rooms surrounding courtyards - system of kasemates multi-level (dominant) ziggurats the city is dominated by the temple in multiple ways (political, religious, economic and social

26 The Ancient Middle East - the Elam civilization Gur

27 The Ancient Middle East - Persia Gur

28 Persepolis (Persian capital, zenith 518 to 460 BC) The earliest remains of Persepolis date from around 515 BC. To the ancient Persians, the city was known as Pārsa, which means The City of Persians.

29 Persepolis summer resident on artificial platform regular shape monumental staircases big peristyles (columned halls) founded by Dareios I destroyed by Alexander the great 330 BC

30 Persepolis

31 Gur (founded 220 AD) diameter of 2 km, 20 sectors concentric complex cosmological and terrestrial organising principle absolutistic water supply with a 20km aqueduct Gur

32 The Ancient Middle East - Egypt

33 Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut (ca BC)

34 Kahun (founded 2000 BC) It was erected for the overseers and workmen employed in constructing the nearby pyramid of Al-Lāhūn, built by Sesostris II (reigned BC), and it was abandoned when the pyramid was completed.

35 El Amarna - workers quarter