1. Urban
Geography
Part 2

2. Harappa and Mohenjo- Indus River Valley
Daro were two of the
first cities of the Indus
River Valley.
- intricately
planned
- houses equal in
size
- no palaces
- no monuments

4. Diffusion to Greece
• Knossos emerged as the
leading city of the
Minoan Civilization about
3,500 yrs. ago.
• Greece emerged as one
of the most highly
urbanized areas on earth
with over 500 cities and
towns by 500 BC
• Athens was the largest
city in the world with
250,000.

5. • Each Greek city had an
acropolis (high city) for
defense.
• The most famous is the
acropolis of Athens
(447BC)
• Below the acropolis was
the agora or market place
• Theaters, shops and
stores of all kinds were
available.
• Despite the modern
features-sanitation was
still primitive

6. Athens, Greece
below-the agora
above the acropolis

7. Roman Urban
System
• The Romans created
the largest urban
system with an
excellent
transportation system
• The Romans were
masters of
engineering efficiency
creating aqueducts,
sewers, roads, bridges
and great public
buildings like arenas
and baths.

9. • Roman cities had great
contrast-great villas &
spacious avenues,
aqueducts, baths and
sewers, yet also –
• Wretchedly poor housing
in 4-5 story over-crowded
tenements, dirty, noisy,
crime-ridden streets and
a population composed
of ½ slaves.
• With the collapse of the
empire the city of 1 ½ m.
shrunk to less than
50,000

10. Urban Growth Elsewhere
• China-rapid growth in the
Han Dynasty period-Xian
became the Rome of East
Asia.
• Timbuktu developed in
West Africa in the 14th
cent. While Meroe on the
upper Nile developed
advanced metallurgy.
• Tenochtitlan, the Aztec
capital was the most
advanced city in the
world with 100,000 by
the 16th cent.

11. Huang He and Wei River Valleys
The Chinese purposefully
planned their cities.
- centered on a
vertical structure
- inner wall built
around center
- temples and
palaces for the
leadership class
Terracotta Warriors guarding the tomb of
the Chinese Emperor Qin Xi Huang