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The archaeology of ancient cities /
This book is about the archaeology of cities in the ancient world, but many of its elements are also part of the study of urbanization in the modern world. The goals we have for this book are fivefold. (1) Wrestle with the question of what constitutes a city. That is, as we explore the origin of cit...
| Clasificación: | Libro Electrónico |
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| Autor principal: | |
| Formato: | Electrónico eBook |
| Idioma: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
Clinton Corners, New York :
Eliot Werner Publications, Inc.,
[2020]
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| Colección: | Principles of archaeology (Eliot Werner Publications, Inc.)
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| Temas: | |
| Acceso en línea: | Texto completo |
| Sumario: | This book is about the archaeology of cities in the ancient world, but many of its elements are also part of the study of urbanization in the modern world. The goals we have for this book are fivefold. (1) Wrestle with the question of what constitutes a city. That is, as we explore the origin of cities, we try to define a concept that has historically lacked definitional consensus and search for a definition applicable to both ancient and modern cities. (2) Explore what constitutes an ancient city in physical terms--space and population--and try to characterize what is essential to social life in cities. (3) Introduce a simple typology of cities that provides a systematic way to identify various types of cities, which gives proper recognition to the low-density settlements of the past that scholars are now acknowledging as urban. (4) Look at six case studies of ancient cities--three primary cities (Hierakonpolis in Egypt, Teotihuacan in Mexico, Copán in Honduras) and three secondary cities (Rome, Gyeongju [Kyongju] in South Korea, and Great Zimbabwe). (5) Review the cases for some settlements called cities by some and denied that status by others--specifically, Cahokia and Chaco in North America. Each chapter will include brief exercises that assist the reader in understanding some of the principles for the proper appreciation of the archaeology of ancient cities, "Cities are the largest 'artifacts' investigated by archaeologists--entities that have been under academic scrutiny for a long time. Urban places are both physical and social agglomerations, fostering the most intense interaction of any human settlement. Archaeological evidence illustrates how ancient cities worldwide were similar in origin, development, and maturation, showing considerable isomorphism with modern cities. This book explores issues of definition and the essential elements of cities, offers a new heuristic typology of cities, and reviews case studies of six ancient cities (Copan, Great Zimbabwe, Gyeongju, Hierakonpolis, Rome, and Teotihuacan) with illustrative exercises at the end of each chapter. Cities have been characterized as 'social reactors' working much like a star in creating an explosive increase in human connectivity. Urban planning, both ancient and modern, helps us understand the essence of this--the most exciting and vibrant product of the human tendency to nucleate."-- |
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| Descripción Física: | 1 online resource (xiv, 159 pages) : illustrations. |
| Bibliografía: | Includes bibliographical references. |
| ISBN: | 9781734281811 1734281812 9781734281804 1734281804 |