Cities of the ancient world

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Ancient Cities. The Archaeology of Urban Life in the Ancient Near East and Egypt, Greece and Rome

By Charles Gates

The author’s stated aim is to provide ‘an introduction to the physical appearance of cities of the Ancient Near East, Egypt, Greece, and Rome, presented in their historical context’. It traces cities from their origin in the Near East during the ninth to the sixth millennium BC and to the end of pagan antiquity in the early fourth century AD, and covers a range of cultures, including Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Egyptians, Minoans, Etruscans, Greeks and Romans! A very broad remit indeed and one that, ultimately, it does not – nor could it – fulfil. Nonetheless the attempt is commendable and makes for a fascinating, albeit uneven, read.

The author argues that these disparate cultures ‘are linked together in a long chain of interconnections’ to form an Old World unity that merits study together. This approach is reflected in the structure and content of the book, which begins with the Neolithic cities of the Near East, continues with Greek Cities and ends with the cities of Ancient Italy and the Roman Empire. The author’s choice of cities throughout is somewhat eclectic and presumably reflects his own particular interest or expertise. The term ‘city’, the author freely admits, is problematic: ‘reducing the city to a single, all-purpose definition seems neither possible nor even desirable’.

My main problem with this book is that the subject area is far too all-embracing to be comprehensive, which is how it is promoted. This leaves the reader dissatisfied in some parts and fascinated, and wishing to know more, in other parts – inevitable, perhaps, but the result is rather uneven and lacking in coherence, which is a great pity.

Just one example of uneven coverage is that of Alexandria – just two pages! In the context of the aims of this book and its main argument, this skimping on Alexandria is mystifying, given that it was one of the most important cities of the Ancient World, spanning the civilizations of Egypt, Greece and Rome. The author’s lack of art historical perspective is also evident here in his rather standard dismissal of the fascinating art of this area and period, uniquely combining as it does both Greek and Egyptian visual forms, interspersed with Roman elements.

It would be extremely helpful to have an up-to-date ‘further reading’ list at the end of each chapter, rather than the present unsatisfactory listing at the end, the organization of which does not reflect the structuring of the book. Although this is not a scholarly text, it would be useful to know something more about the sources other than the present abbreviated listing for illustrations at the back. For example, there is an interesting description of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus in Chapter 17, with an excellent diagram of its reconstruction. Since this bears no resemblance to one attributed to F. Krischen (in Lullies and Hirmer (1969) Greek Sculpture), I was keen to know why. Unfortunately, the listing at the back is to an undated reference, which is not very helpful, so I’m none the wiser. This sort of thing is very frustrating and does undermine the authority of the text.

Another oddity is that we are told that there is a companion website, but we are not given the website address! I managed to locate it with a Google search but it wasn’t that easy – I would urge anyone interested to access it because it is an extremely useful and fascinating resource.

The idea behind this enterprise is extremely laudable – it contains fascinating information, wonderful drawings, a useful timeline and an excellent companion website. Unfortunately it is not comprehensive and coverage is uneven. It might, therefore, have been better to summarize, for historical context, the popular Classical Greek and Roman sites, well-trodden ground much better covered by a plethora of other publications, to which the reader could be referred. Since the real strength of the book lies in those parts not normally covered elsewhere, this is really where the focus ought to lie, expanding on a consideration of the Greeks and Romans abroad, the influence of their cultures and how they were adapted/adopted by receiving cultures.

Nonetheless, it is an excellent introduction for anyone interested in ancient societies and how they lived. It is purportedly aimed at university and high school students, more specifically students of ‘Ancient Cities’ an introductory course for students in the Department of Classics at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in the USA, its clear, accessible style and unstuffy approach make it suitable for a broader range of non-academics who would like to know more about this fascinating and broad subject area. There are no text citations, discussion of sources or alternative viewpoints. The only voice is that of the author. Charles Gates is a senior lecturer of archaeology and art history at Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey – though clearly his expertise is more archaeological than art historical.

Ancient Cities. The Archaeology of Urban Life in the Ancient Near East and Egypt, Greece and Rome  (2nd edn) by Charles Gates  is published by Routledge 2011. 504 pp., over 300 illus, £22.99 (paperback); £70.00 (hardback). ISBN: 978-0-415-4965-4; (hbk) 978-0415498647 (pbk) Companion website: http://cw.routledge.com/textbooks/9780415498647/