Module 1: From rural to urban Lecture 2: How did the urban community emerge? The Lecture Contains: V. Gordon Childe's Theory of 'Urban Revolution'

Transcription

1 The Lecture Contains: V. Gordon Childe's Theory of 'Urban Revolution' Lewis Mumford's Theory of Thanatopolis Conditions that led to the Rise of the Urban Characteristics of the Ancient Cities References In the next three lectures we will discuss the conditions that led to the rise of the city. file:///d /NPTL%20WORK/Dr.%20Anindita%20Chakrabarti/UrbanSociology/lecture2/2_1.htm [5/31/2013 9:48:55 AM]

2 V. Gordon Childe: Urban Revolution Theorists of the Origin of the City 'The Urban Revolution' by V. Gordon Childe (Town Planning Review, 1950) is one of the most heavily cited papers ever published by an archaeologist. Childe was the first to synthesise archaeological data with respect to the concept of urbanism, and the first to recognise the radical social transformation that came with the earliest cities and states. Although Childe's treatment of urban planning was brief, his ideas were seminal in understanding ancient urban planning. Lewis Mumford: City in History In his influential book The City in History, Lewis Mumford explores the development of urban civilizations. He argues that the structure of modern cities is partially responsible for many social problems seen in western society and that urban planning should emphasize an organic relationship between people and their living spaces. Mumford uses the example of the medieval city as the basis for the ideal city, and claims that the modern city is too close to the Roman city (the sprawling megalopolis) which ended in collapse; if the modern city carries on in the same vein, Mumford argues, then it will meet the same fate as the Roman city. file:///d /NPTL%20WORK/Dr.%20Anindita%20Chakrabarti/UrbanSociology/lecture2/2_2.htm [5/31/2013 9:48:55 AM]

3 The Development of Cities: Was there a Thanatopolis? Lewis Mumford's Theory of the Thanatopolis The conditions of the origin of the city have been discussed by different theorists. According to Lewis Mumford, the first cities that came up are not the city of the living but of the dead. It was the thanatopolis. Among the hunter gathering Paleolithic people it is the dead who had a permanent dwelling not the living, and men and women would return to these ritual spaces to worship their ancestors. The modern city is the product of a complex historical process. The origin of cities are shrouded in the distant past. According to some sources, it could be as long back as years. file:///d /NPTL%20WORK/Dr.%20Anindita%20Chakrabarti/UrbanSociology/lecture2/2_3.htm [5/31/2013 9:48:56 AM]

4 : Introduction to Urban Sociology What were the conditions that had led to the rise of the urban? Advances in agriculture The evolution of the Neolithic village into a city took at least 1500 years (from 5000 to 3500 BCE). For the Neolithic human beings village and home were the creations of the women. Nurture, protection and fecundity were the main tasks that had to be performed. Wherever containers were found we could assume that there was surplus. One of the first feats performed by early engineers was a hole dug in the ground and sun-dried to brick hardness in Mesopotemia. The technological developments that made it possible for humankind to live in urban places were at first mainly advances in agriculture. file:///d /NPTL%20WORK/Dr.%20Anindita%20Chakrabarti/UrbanSociology/lecture2/2_4.htm [5/31/2013 9:48:56 AM]

5 Surplus In the Neolithic era domestication of plants and animals eventually led to improved methods of cultivation and stock breeding.this resulted in surplus production and made it possible to sustain a higher population density. Production of Non-essential Goods and Services Surplus also made a section of the population free for craftsmanship and the production of non-essential goods and services.. file:///d /NPTL%20WORK/Dr.%20Anindita%20Chakrabarti/UrbanSociology/lecture2/2_7.htm [5/31/2013 9:48:56 AM]

6 Necessity for Circulation of Goods As human settlements increased in size through advances in irrigation and cultivation, the need for improving the circulation of goods and people became ever more acute. Domestication of animals In this situation domestication of animals had an important role. The Neolithic people domesticated animals and used them for transportation as well as for food and hides. It made them travel greater distances and when attached with sledge-like equipments they helped them to carry heavier loads. file:///d /NPTL%20WORK/Dr.%20Anindita%20Chakrabarti/UrbanSociology/lecture2/2_8.htm [5/31/2013 9:48:56 AM]

7 Invention of the Wheel The most spectacular technological advancement in the early history of transportation was the invention of the wheel which was used first in the Tigris-Euphrates valley around 3500 BCE. Roads The Romans were famous for their road building technology. The roads were mainly for military purposes. They were a part of Rome's military might. Travel was a specialized affair where only the merchants and soldiers are the only people who traveled. Roads helped in urbanization. file:///d /NPTL%20WORK/Dr.%20Anindita%20Chakrabarti/UrbanSociology/lecture2/2_9.htm [5/31/2013 9:48:57 AM]

8 Characteristics of the Ancient Cities First and foremost, the population of the ancient cities was mostly very small by modern standards. Babylon, one of the largest ancient cities of the Middle East probably had a population of 20,000 at its height. Rome under Emperor Augustus (27BC to 14AD) was the largest ancient city outside China,and it had some 300,000 inhabitants. They were centres of art, science and cosmopolitan culture. However, the influence of the city on the rural areas was minimal. But how did they come about? We will look at two theories: file:///d /NPTL%20WORK/Dr.%20Anindita%20Chakrabarti/UrbanSociology/lecture2/2_10.htm [5/31/2013 9:48:57 AM]

9 References Childe, V. Gordon 'The Urban Revolution'. In Town Planning Review Vol 21: 3-17 Mumford, Lewis The City in History: Its Origins, Its Transformations and Its Prospects. New York: Harcourt Brace & World Inc. file:///d /NPTL%20WORK/Dr.%20Anindita%20Chakrabarti/UrbanSociology/lecture2/2_11.htm [5/31/2013 9:48:57 AM]