The Archaeology of Ancient Cities

Cities are the largest "artifacts" investigated by archaeologists--entities that have been under academic scrutiny for a long time. Urban places are both physical and social agglomerations, fostering the most intense interaction of any human settlement. Archaeological evidence illustrates how ancient cities worldwide were similar in origin, development, and maturation, showing considerable isomorphism with modern cities.



This book explores issues of definition and the essential elements of cities, offers a new heuristic typology of cities, and reviews case studies of six ancient cities (Copán, Great Zimbabwe, Gyeongju, Hierakonpolis, Rome, and Teotihuacan) with illustrative exercises at the end of each chapter. Cities have been characterized as "social reactors" working much like a star in creating an explosive increase in human connectivity. Urban planning, both ancient and modern, helps us understand the essence of this--the most exciting and vibrant product of the human tendency to nucleate.

Glenn R. Storey is Associate Professor of Classics and Anthropology at the University of Iowa. He has a B.A. (Ancient Greek) from Columbia University, an honors bachelor's degree from Oxford University in Classical Greats, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in anthropology from Penn State University. Since 1994 he has taught a wide range of courses at the University of Iowa, from Introductory Egyptology to Anthropology and Contemporary World Problems.