Roman+Cities

=Roman Cities= Christian O'Connor & Nick Moulton

A typical Roman city Roman cities dotted the massive area surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. They began as trade and military outposts, locations where agricultural areas could be watched and maintained. Cites were highly planned and modeled after military camps and elaborate roads connected the people inside them and the soldiers that protected them. In all cities at least two major roads could be found, meeting at the center of the city. One road ran from East to West, the other from North to South. The city center at which the two roads met was called the forum and was the center of commerce. In the third century BC walls were built around the majority of cities to protect against attacks from barbarians. These walls stoods as symbols of not only protection, but weatlth and independence for the conquered cities of the empire.Origanally public buildings were funded by wealthly families and businesses. Over time all cities came to have schools and temples, larger cities constructed libraries and coloseums. When a foreign city was conquered by Rome, much was kept the same, but much of Rome's culture and ideas descended on the cities. New buildings modeled to look like other Roman cities and function like them as well.


 * A Growing Population**

As Roman cities grew in size and population it became harder and harder for the cities to meet the needs of its occupants. To provide water for the people of Rome large aqueducts were built leading to the cities. Thousands of gallons flowed to the densely populated areas of Rome. This water supported the growing needs of people and the public baths that came to be apart of every city. Many of Rome's conquests were not for the luxuries of being the victors, but to take control of the resources of that country. For example; Octavian was believed to have conquered Alexandria and the rest of Egypt to get back at his rival Atony. In reality the main purpose of that campaign was to take control of the Nile River Valley's agricultural production. Rome needed more food for the Empire and Egypt would become the bread basket to support it. Whenever a part of the Roman empire outgrew itself goods from another region of the empire were sent to support that area. A growing Roman population also led to a need for more space and when you can't build out you build up. Architects constructed larger buildings to accommodate for more people in the same amount of space and to symbolize Rome's power as an empire.

Roma
Rome was the capital of the Roman Empire and the world. The land on which the city lies has been occupied for over 10,000 years, but the city is believed to have been founded by the leaders Romulus and Remus in 753 BC. It started under the rule of monarchs to the rule of teh senate and then to an Emperor. Under the rule of Agustus Rome became full of palaces and monuments of heros of old. Rome became a maze of streets and buildings, some roads only wide enough for foot traffic, others wide enough for a single cart. When Rome burned under the rule of Nero in 46 BC during the Pax Romana (Roman Peace) it was redesigned to be similar to other Roman cities in the military camp layout. At its peak over a million people called the city of Rome home and for over seven hundred years Rome was the wealthiest and most influential city in the Western World.

Alexandria
Alexandria was captured by the Roman Emperor Octavian in 30 BC. The city had been founded close to three hundred years before that by the Macedonain leader Alexander the Great. Alexandria was teh largest city in Egypt and was the second largest city in the Roman Empire behind Rome itself in Italy. Alexandria was a chief port on the Mediterranean and the Gateway to Egypt and all of Africa. Alexandria allowed for more goods to flow into Rome from all of Africa.Alexandria has been designed by Greed architects and it mixded both Egyptian and Greek architechure. This mix of cultures remained when Alexandria was conquered by Rome.

Athenae
In 146 BC the Roman Empire finally captured Greece, adding all of its people and cities to the Empire. What was and remains to be the largest city in Greece is Athens, known by the Romans as Athenae. Once captured Athenae became a leading city of trade and warfare in Rome. The cities location on the Aegean Sea made it perfect for goods from all around the Mediterranean Sea to be brought to one location in the Baltics. Athens also became a military outpost as Roman Legions moved farther and farther East in first century BC. The addition of Greece led to the Greco-Roman culture. This was a combination between the two cultures and greatly influenced the whole Roman Empire and the world. Little Changed physically when Rome came into power in Athenae. Many of the buildings in Athenae resembled those in Rome so their was little to add, but Aqueducts and Public Baths.

Lutetia


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