Lecture 16

Cities of the Roman Empire

A. Cities in the Roman Empire varied tremendously from area to area

1. In general, different kinds of cities could be identified in a) the Hellenistic East, b) Italy, c) the generally non-Romanized West.

2. Many historians have noted that the Roman Empire was essentially an alliance of cities

a. What this means is that the Romans generally encouraged cities to maintain their own organization and to govern themselves in all local matters.

b. Local aristocracies dominated local society and were generally loyal to the Roman government and Roman culture.

c. Cities maintained order, justice, and amenities, while the central government provided defense and took care of foreign policy.

d. Cities had civic territory--essentially the chora of the city.

3. Different kinds of cities:

a. Allied cities: essentially "foreign" cities, theoretically allied to Rome.

b. Municipia: cities were residents were given special status -- many held Roman citizenship and paid taxes.

c. Colonies: often Roman military colonies in frontier or dangerous areas, Roman citizens. 

B. Colonies

1. The agricultural land of the colonies was divided up and given to the colonists.

2. The process was called centuriation, in which the city territory was divided into rectangular plots, usually ca. 125 acres (50 hectares) each.

3. Centuriation was laid out from the center of the colony and this became the center of the city.

a. Two roads intersected at this center: the cardo maximus (north-south street) and decumanus maximus; other streets were parallel to these.

b. Thus, the grid of the city was laid out over the entire colony.

4. Colonies (as cities and as territories) were thus orthogonal in plan.

5. The colony strongly resembled a military camp.

6. Early examples of colonies were Ostia (350 BC) and Cosa (273 BC) in Italy.

C. Colonies were the main form of civic organization in the West

1. In many areas there were no cities before the arrival of the Romans. 

2. The Romans did not know how to deal with people who were not organized into civic organizations, so they encouraged conquered people (mainly Gauls) to organize themselves into Roman-style cities.

3. Trier/Treves (Augusta Treverorum)

4. Caerwent (Venta Silurum) in Britain

5. London (Londinium) in Britain

6. Cities in southern Gaul were more "Mediterranean" in form (Arles, Nimes, etc.)

7. Most of the great cities of western Europe began as Roman cities.

D. Africa

1. Very wealthy, grain-producing area.

2. Formerly Punic (Carthaginian) control, but Roman after 146 BC.

3. Timgad (Thamugadi) in Algeria: originally a military colony.

4. Leptis Magna in Libya was continuously developed and reached a height under Septimius Severus (AD 193-211).

E. Cities of the East

1. Wealthy cities, the continuation of Hellenistic cities, with the same independent nature. 

2. Colonies such as Patras, Nikopolis, Korinth, Beirut (Berytus).

3. "Oriental" cities such as Jerash (Gerasa) and Petra in Jordan, as well as Jerusalem, Antioch, and Alexandria.

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