Inside the City in the Greek World: Studies of Urbanism From the Bronze Age to the Hellenistic Period

The publication of the papers presented in this volume marks an important step in the study of ancient cities. Despite having long been a focus of archaeological investigation and analysis, until relatively recently they have tended to be described rather than analysed. These eleven papers concentrate on analysing ancient urban centres from within, exploring some of the ways in which people lived in, perceived and modified their built environments. The papers span several time periods, from the Bronze Age to the Hellenistic era as well as geographic locations from Italy to Beirut. The title of this volume thus incorporates two meanings of Greek: the territory of the modern nation-state and areas of the ancient world with cultural influences from the Aegean. The diversity of ancient urban forms is therefore fully recognised and celebrated.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Inside the City in the Greek World (Laura Preston and Sara Owen)
Scaling Up: From Household to State in Bronze Age Crete (Carl Knappett)
Social and Political Aspects of Urbanism in Middle Minoan I-II Crete: Towards a Regional Approach (Ilse Schoep)
Daidalos' Designs and Ariadne's Threads: Minoan Towns as Places of Interaction (Jan Driessen)
Town Planning in Palatial Mycenae (Elizabeth French)
Post-Palatial Urbanization: Some Lost Opportunities (Irene Lemos, Antonia Livieratou and Marina Thomatos)
The 'Thracian' Landscape of Archaic Thasos (Sara Owen)
The Classical Greek Cemetery: A Barometer of Citizenship? (Anthony Snodgrass)
The Urban Plan of Thourioi: Literary Sources and Archaeological Evidence for a Hippodamian City (Emmanuele Greco)
Domestic Facades: A 'Feature' of the Urban Landscape of Greek Poleis? (Lisa Nevett)
Space and Identity in Hellenistic Beirut (Nadine Boksmati)