Urbanization in ancient Greece - Essay Example

The natural environment is more important than technology in explaining the processes of urbanization in ancient Greece Introduction Cities are a comparatively new advancement of human culture, boosted by a stable supply of food. The formation of cities was as a result of the need for effort coordination, organization and central authority. Culture refinement, law, and emergence of government closely followed social stratification. The earliest settlements were mainly villages, which remained so for several millennia. They were usually small with very small variations in terms of their sizes. One key characteristic of these settlements was lack of governmental authority beyond the boundaries of the village (Chant et al, 2000). In addition, these villages did not have any workshops or public buildings. Such egalitarian societies persevered on even after the introduction of agriculture. The egalitarian societies were stratified and turned into functionally specialized units by the formation of states and urbanization (Chant et al, 1999). This process took place independently in numerous regions of the world, probably starting from the Southwest Asian region, which was very fertile. The formative era referred to the period between the years 7000 to 5000 BC, which was characterised by urbanization and state development, which complemented each other. Upon the stratification of the egalitarian society, there emerged craftspeople, farmers, soldiers, administrators, merchants and priests, with the cities becoming the civilization focus (Chant, 1999). The natural environment, technology and urbanization in ancient Greece In the development of Greece cities, the natural environment as well as the existing technologies played a key role. These cities were built in around the eighth century by the Greeks. Distinguishing how the shape of the buildings in the cities was influenced by the natural environment or the available technologies is not easy. This is because there exists a very dynamic relationship between the natural environment and technology, with each shaping or being shaped by the other. Military technologies and needs were very important determinants in the layout and growth of Greek cities. Some of the initial cities in Greece grew as a result of pressure since the people needed to defend themselves form their enemies. As a result they were generally located on rocky positions, which were regarded as defensible. They were also positioned some distance from the harbour, with heavy fortification (Chant et al, 2000). Wall-building proved to be the most expensive and laborious task and involved very impressive engineering accomplishments in the architecture of Greece. Stone was in abundance and was used the building material, with its properties determining the style of construction. For instance, lintels and posts were frequently used in the construction of public monuments. Stone, which was the building material of choice, needed lifting technologies that utilized people as opposed to hoists (Chant et al, 1999). Cranes were not in use until much later, in 515 BC and beyond. They came into use as a result of labour shortage and not because of their capability of lifting larger blocks of stone. The unplanned growth of the earliest settlements was substituted by a bit more formal buildings, mainly after Persian attacks in the fifth century. With the advancement of technology in the military, it became necessary to adopt a defensive layout for the city streets. In the process of the reconstruction of these cities, there was development of numerous town planning theories, most of which were put into practice, with the grid plan becoming very common. Aristotle advocated for a city design of a defensive nature, which uses both the irregular and regular features. This, he argued, was aimed at reconciling the strain of moving both the equipment and troops easily, and to confuse any attackers (Chant, 2000). Natural Environment The location of earlier settlements was mainly determined by the natural environment. This is because they were in need of fresh, clean water and a location where they could access raw materials and food. The cities had to be built close harbours due to the wide usage of water transport in trade. A number of authors saw the need to have a definite shape for these cities and of having a constant supply of fresh water. The physical and the social development of Greek cities was boosted by hydro-geography and its resultant technology. The ancient cities were usually established under massifs in order to get access to water and a defensible site (Chant, 2000). The karst geology of Greece is renowned for its layer of rock which is overlaid by permeable caps of limestone that lead to a general surface water shortage. This is because water leaks through these permeable layers and ends up at the limestone base where one can find springs. The natural environment presented a number of constraints on the development of Greek cities. Many settlements emerged and developed by such sources or alternatively, there was digging of tunnels in the rock in order to obtain water wherever sources were not accessible. In view of this, technology became centred on getting access to water and providing drainage. However, the development of cities requires much more than just the supply of water. Food is also very vital alongside maintaining of sound public health and defence activities (Chant et al, 200). This argument is what seems to have determined the trend of technology in ancient Greece. For instance, there was no equal access to water in Greece cities. This perspective disregards other factors like military imperatives, politics, beliefs, ideas, and economics. They included building rocks, particularly within grid system constraints, which required advancement of construction technologies (Chant et al, 2000). The construction of walled cities on the rock tended to restrain the expansion of these cities. However, Athens defied all these constraints and expanded massively. Its military and political dominance enabled it to draw adequate resources to help it in sustaining it large population, which was ten times what it should hold. Conclusion The technologies used by the Greeks in the construction of their cities are a representation of people responding to the natural environment, especially the need dire need of water resources. Technologies aimed at providing water to the cities displayed technological advancement to address the problem of making sure that there is adequate drainage and water supply. This was however not the only drive towards technological advancement. There were also other factors such as defence considerations and political relations that went a long way in determining the adaptation of the natural environment. References Chant, C et al (2000) Pre-industrial Cities & Technology: Cities and Technology, Routledge Chant, C (1999) The Pre-industrial Cities and Technology Reader, Routledge Read More