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[TTC Video] Steven L. Tuck - Cities of the Ancient World
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Course Overview
Jericho: The famous walled city from the story of Joshua, whose conquerors left only rubble for future archaeologists.
Deir el-Medina: Home to the workers who built the tombs of King Tut and other pharaohs in the desert.
Alexandria: The awe-inspiring metropolis that housed wonders of ancient architecture along the North African coast.
Rome: Arguably the most famous and most impressive city of the ancient world, and the seat of one of the world’s most powerful empires.
These and other cities tell us much about the development of civilization: why people settled in cities, how they lived, how they overcame the challenges of urban life, and more. Because we now live in a world of cities—and for the first time ever, the majority of the population lives in an urban environment—reflecting on these ancient models of the “city” as a human phenomenon offers important lessons for our culture today.
Cities of the Ancient World is your opportunity to survey the breadth of the ancient world through the context of its urban development. Taught by esteemed Professor Steven L. Tuck of Miami University, these 24 eye-opening lectures not only provide an invaluable look at the design and architecture of ancient cities, they also offer a flesh-and-blood glimpse into the daily lives of ordinary people and the worlds they created. For instance, you will:
consider the benefits of living in cities, from mutual defense to trading opportunities;
compare domestic and public spaces and see what implications these spaces have on politics and society;
investigate critical infrastructure, including water supply and drainage systems;
learn about how such common ideas as city blocks and crosswalks were invented; and
marvel at the elaborate monuments and works of art created in antiquity.
From the world’s first city of Çatalhöyük to the mysteries of the Indus Valley to Constantinople, which served as the hinge between the ancient and medieval worlds, Cities of the Ancient World gives you insight into cities both large and small, famous and obscure. Ultimately, however, this is a course about people, not just buildings. Studying these cities will give you a new appreciation for the remarkable cultures of the ancient world, from the ruins of Uruk to the Golden Age of Athens, and spur you to reflect on what makes a city survive.
Discover a Wide Range of Urban Development
From orderly cities to sprawling suburbs, the ancient world offers the same variety of urban living you find around the world today. By looking at such a wide range of cities, you get a sense of the changing ideas about what it takes to make a city—and it allows you to make connections across time and geography. For example, you’ll trace the development of orthogonal planning, in which cities are constructed in a grid with rectilinear blocks, and find out how it gradually spread around the ancient world.
Using a case-study approach, Professor Tuck shows you the incredible breadth and richness of urban design across the ages:
Tour the mysterious citadel of Mohenjo-daro, part of the lost civilization of the Indus Valley.
Consider the Egyptian “company town” of Kahun, which housed paid laborers who built the tombs of pharaohs.
Explore the Minoan city of Knossos, a labyrinthine metropolis seamlessly integrated into the rocky island landscape.
Meet Hippodamus of Miletus and find out about his principles of urban design. He is credited with formalizing orthogonal planning.
View the splendor of Alexandria, the first major city built directly on the seacoast, whose great lighthouse was among the seven wonders of the ancient world.
Examine Roman infrastructure and find out how building codes helped mitigate fires and other dangers.
Examining the structures of these ancient cities teaches us much about the lives and priorities of their inhabitants. For example, are the city blocks short and walkable? Do zoning laws isolate various ethnic groups and social classes? Do city walls protect from outside invasions? Professor Tuck also demonstrates how ancient peoples dealt with the challenges of infrastructure, waste removal, neighbors, and the environment—issues that will resonate with today’s city dwellers.
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