Title & Author:

Cities that shaped the ancient world / edited by John Julius Norwich.

Publication:

New York, New York : Thames & Hudson Inc., 2014.
©2014

Description:

240 pages : illustrations (chiefly color), color maps ; 26 cm

Notes:
"151 illustrations, 147 in color."
"151 illustrations, 147 in color"--Title page.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Introduction : The birth of urban life / John Julius Norwich -- The Near East : Uruk: the world's first city / Margarete van Ess -- Ur: Mesopotamian centre of power and wealth / Marc Van de Mieroop -- Hattusa: stronghold of the Hittite Empire / Trevor Bryce -- Troy: myth and reality / Bettany Hughes -- Babylon: Nebuchadnezzar and the hanging gardens / Joan Oates -- Nineveh: palaces and temples of the Assyrian kings / Julian Reade -- Persepolis: heart of the Persian Empire / Marc Van de Mieroop -- Pergamum: Hellenistic city of culture / Stephen Mitchell -- Jerusalem: city founded on faith / Martin Goodman -- Petra: architectural wonder built on trade / Jane Taylor -- Ephesus: sanctuary and temple of Artemis / Stephen Mitchell -- Palmyra: between Rome and Persia / Nigel Pollard -- Africa : Memphis: the balance of the two lands / Ian Shaw -- Thebes: heart of Egypt's golden age / Bill Manley -- Amarna: short-lived city of the Sun God / Barry Kemp -- Carthage: Phoenician and Roman cities / Henry Hurst -- Alexandria: Greek capital of Egypt / Alan B. Lloyd -- Meroë: royal city of Nubia / Robert Morkot -- Leptis Magna: splendour and beauty in North Africa / Nigel Pollard -- Aksum: Ethiopian royal trading city / Matthew C. Curtis -- Europe : Knossos: palatial centre of Minoan Crete / Colin F. Macdonald -- Mycenae: palaces and tombs of warrior kings / Bettany Hughes -- Athens: birthplace of democracy / Bettany Hughes -- Akragas: city of luxury and excess / Tony Spawforth -- Paestum: a tale of two colonies / Nigel Pollard -- Rome: Augustus' city of stone / Nigel Pollard -- Pompeii: a bustling provincial city of the Roman Empire / Paul Roberts -- Nîmes and the Pont du Gard: masterpieces of architecture and technology / Simon Esmonde Cleary -- Trier: from provincial city to imperial residence / Simon Esmonde Cleary -- Asia : Mohenjo-Daro: mysteries of the Indus civilization / Robin Coningham -- Linzi: cities of warring states China / W.J.F. Jenner -- Xianyang: China's first imperial capital / Frances Wood -- Pataliputra: centre of the Mauryan Empire / Robin Coningham -- Anuradhapura: island capital and pilgrimage site / Robin Coningham -- The Americas : Caral: early monumental centre in Peru / Daniel H. Sandweiss -- La Venta: regal and ritual city of the Olmec / Richard A. Diehl -- Monte Albán: at the summit of the sacred mountain / Javier Urcid -- Teotihuacan: where time and water flow / Susan Toby Evans -- Tikal: crucible of Maya civilization / Simon Martin -- Palenque: royal metropolis of the Maya golden age / George Stuart.
Dust jacket.

Summary:

Today we take living in cities, with all their attractions and annoyances, for granted. But when did humans first come together to live in large groups, creating an urban landscape? What were these places like to inhabit? More than simply a history of ancient cities, this volume also reveals the art and architecture created by our ancestors, and provides a fascinating exploration of the origins of urbanism, politics, culture, and human interaction. Arranged geographically into five sections, Cities That Shaped the Ancient World takes a global view, beginning in the Near East with the earliest cities such as Ur and Babylon, Troy and Jerusalem. In Africa, the great cities of Ancient Egypt arose, such as Thebes and Amarna. Glorious European metropolises, including Athens and Rome, ringed the Mediterranean, but also stretched to Trier on the turbulent frontier of the Roman Empire. Asia had bustling commercial centers such as Mohenjodaro and Xianyang, while in the Americas the Mesoamerican and Peruvian cultures stamped their presence on the landscape, creating massive structures and extensive urban settlements in the deep jungles and high mountain ranges, including Caral and Teotihuacan. A team of expert historians and archaeologists with firsthand knowledge and deep appreciation of each site gives voices to these silent ruins, bringing them to life as the bustling state-of-the-art metropolises they once were.

ISBN:

9780500252048 (hbk.)
0500252041 (hbk.)

Subject:

Cities and towns, Ancient.
Civilization, Ancient.
Villes antiques.
Civilisation ancienne.
Altertum
Stadt

Added entries:

Norwich, John Julius, 1929-2018, editor.
Norwich, John Julius, 1929- editor.

Holdings:

Location: Library main 287990
Call No.: BIB 229486
Status: Available