10 greatest cities of antiquity. Which cities were the real power?

Antiquity is a period spanning over 3,000 years. During this time, many great cities arose around the globe. The most interesting are those places that not only played the role of an urban center, but their inhabitants dominated the surrounding territory politically and culturally. In the text below, I would like to propose a list of the 10 largest cities of antiquity.

Depending on where the cities were founded and what the local culture was like, they played a different role. In ancient Greece, cities were state centers. Their population and territory can be expanded to include territories over which the council or king had sovereignty. This also applies to cities that arose on the colonized shores of Asia Minor or North Africa. Greek cities were not as gigantic as, for example, some in the Middle East. However, their role as independent centers was much greater. As I mentioned, in the case of Greek cities, the area around such a Polis may be added. (Tomlinson R., 1996: p. 2)

In centralized countries such as Egypt and Persia, the role of cities was more related to economy and culture than to politics.

We may have problems defining the role of cities that were considered missing until recently. Occasionally, archaeologists will be able to identify the excavated facility with source descriptions. Sometimes, however, we do not know much about what was happening around us. Nevertheless, excavations show the power and wealth of such a city.

Ancient cities were not populous compared to modern centers. The human population was smaller in general until the modern era. In addition, many people lived in villages or in scattered smaller settlements. Therefore, it is difficult to find many cities with a population exceeding 500,000. people. It is worth adding that our calculations are usually approximate. We rarely have documents proving the size of the population.

It should also be taken into account that some places have gone through different stages of development over a period of, for example, a thousand years. It is difficult to judge a population from excavations alone. One can only speculate how large the population of the lost cities or those that have undergone complete transformation was. The most interesting thing is that historians and archaeologists also disagree on this. It all depends on the method of research and the beliefs of the researcher.

When describing the 10 greatest cities of antiquity, I take it all into account. These centers are huge compared to other cities in the same neighborhood and era. For each city, I will try to choose the most extensive period.

In order not to be charmed by the 10 most beautiful cities of antiquity and not to confuse the volume with fame, the determinant for me will be the population and (occasionally) area.

10 greatest cities of antiquity

1. Jericho - an ancient and even prehistoric city, considered the oldest city in the world. The first traces of a sedentary lifestyle in this area date back to 9,000 years ago. The researchers estimated its population at 1000-2000 in its heyday. Considering that it was built in the 7th millennium BC, this is quite an impressive number. It must have seemed enormous to the inhabitants of the surrounding settlements who came to it. (I describe Middle Eastern cities mainly on the basis of Zabłocka J., 1982)
2. Born - It was created around 3800 B.C.E. in what is now Iraq. It is one of the 10 oldest cities in the world. According to the biblical description, Abraham came from him - the founder of the three largest monotheistic religions. Like most cities in this comparison, we determine its size by comparing the population and area with other contemporary centers. Around 2100 B.C.E. was supposed to count 100,000 people. Places that could compare with him at that time were few.
3. Xi'an - For some, the most interesting are the cities they have not heard about yet. In Poland, little is known about the antiquity of Chinese civilization. Meanwhile, it is one of the oldest and most populous civilizations in the world. Xi'an (called Haojing when it was founded during the Zhou / Chou dynasty) is one of the oldest cities in present-day China. In many lists, it is included in the 10 largest cities of antiquity. Its population is estimated at 100,000 people in the 11th century BCE (Rodziński W., 1974: pp. 32-33)
4. Babylon - The first mention of the city dates back to the XXIII century BCE, but the peak of its power falls during the reign of Hammurabi (1792-1750 BCE). In its heyday, the population was 60,000. people. The city delighted not only with the number of inhabitants but above all with wonderful buildings. It is here that they were built in the 7th century BCE. the later lost gardens of Babylon.
5. Ctesiphon - To this day, it is admirable not only for its size but also for the enormous area of ​​the city, which in its prime covered over 30 square kilometers. It was founded by the Parthians as the winter capital of the empire in the 2nd century BC.
6. Teotihuacan - they can be called Mexican Rome. We do not know the exact date of its foundation. According to legends, giants did it. Excavations indicate settlement from at least 600 BCE. It was one of the largest cities in ancient Mexico. Places around the city provided its main wealth - obsidian. Besides, it was a place of pilgrimage. It is estimated that about 200,000 people lived here. people. (Davies N., 1990: pp. 60-61)
7. Carthage - Established in the 9th century BC by the Phoenicians, in the 3rd century B.C.E. it was experiencing its greatest glory. Its population then reached 500,000. It is no exaggeration to call it one of the 10 greatest cities of antiquity. The Romans feared her power so much that they decided to destroy the city after a long period of wars with the Phoenicians. A Roman colony was established in its place. The most interesting monuments of the city's Phoenician period are therefore irretrievably lost for us.
8. Rome - antiquity does not know a larger center than Rome. In any case, surely no center was so powerful in the Mediterranean. Between 1 and 200 CE, it was inhabited by about a million people. There could be even more in the peak period. The city was not only numerous but monumental. Giant buildings, such as the Colosseum that still stand today, made a great impression on the inhabitants and visitors. (Tomlinson R: pp. 147-175)
9. Alexandria - it must be included not only among the largest but also among the 10 most beautiful cities of antiquity. Established on the site of the former Egyptian village of Rhacotis. It was founded in honor of Alexander the Great and became a center of culture, science and new ideas for the entire ancient world. In the 2nd century BC, the population was about a million. The most interesting thing is that today it is one of the most populous cities in Egypt. Important research centers were established here in the course of the city's development. Mostly places like the Library of Alexandria. Unfortunately, since it was burnt in the 4th century AD, numerous manuscripts that were located here are lost to this day and we know about them only from mentions in other works. (Tomlinson R: pp. 97-111)
10. Constantinople - It can be said that it is not only one of the 10 greatest cities of antiquity but the last great city of this period. It was founded as the capital of the Roman Empire in 330-395 CE. From 395 to the capture by the Turks in 1453, it was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, and until 1922 the capital of the Ottoman Empire. So it is also a medieval and modern metropolis. Around 500, Constantinople had a population of 500,000. population, and according to some researchers, the population could be as high as one million. In addition, it was a major political and cultural center for the vast area of ​​the Eastern Mediterranean and Asia Minor. (Tomlinson R: pp. 216-223)

There are several criteria by which the size of a city is determined. Their area may be extensive, but most of them will be occupied by monumental structures. This was what the cities of ancient Rome were characterized by. In turn, cities whose territory is not particularly large, but where many people live, were typical of the Middle East. One interesting example is the city of Shibam in Yemen, known as the "Manhattan of the Desert". A relatively small area is occupied by multi-story buildings (some up to 11 stories). The city is 2,500 years old and is the oldest urban agglomeration of this type in the world.

Of course, that's not the only way to build in the Middle East. Lost cities that have been rediscovered during archaeological excavations are most often in the form of a fortress. With dense buildings inside and fields behind the city wall.

Brick buildings are typical of Middle Eastern cities. The clay, mixed with straw or grass, was formed into bricks and dried in the sun. Some ancient sites had stone houses. Wood was a less accessible material, in contrast to northern Eurasia, where it was the main building material.

Among the 10 largest cities of antiquity, I included Babylon, which was not only a great city but also legendary. Its buildings are dominated by three-story residential buildings with flat roofs, which are also used for the private life of the inhabitants.

The most interesting places in the ancient Middle East are the capitals of great rulers, such as the Babylonian Hammurabi or the Persian Xerxes.

The appearance of the Greek city-states differs significantly from that of the Middle Eastern rulers. First of all, they are the centers of power for the entire neighborhood. These are not capitals of great empires, but autonomous centers, often proud of their uniqueness and independence.

Few people realize that Athens is one of the 10 oldest cities in the world. The structure of Greek civilization, composed of small, independent centers, allowed for the development of various forms of culture and power.

The most famous of the cities are, of course, Athens and Sparta. So different in their approach to power and citizens. The most interesting places in terms of cultural development, however, were places such as Ephesus, Rhodes, and Syracuse. They were created during the so-called Great Colonization and concentrated trade routes and surrounding cultures. This is where scholars and philosophers often came from.

In the list of the 10 largest cities of antiquity above, I have already written about the Eternal City. The population of each major center usually thinks that their city is the greatest. However, many Roman citizens of that time and today's historians will agree that Rome was one of the most dignified cities in the history of civilization, as befits the capital of an empire.

Established in a marshy territory, it initially focused mainly on hills. However, the Tiber was the thread that sewed the city together. (Tomlinson R .: p. 148) During its peak period, its area was not stunning - only 2,000 hectares. But that's why people built up higher. This area had to accommodate up to 2 million inhabitants! (cf. Janicki K.) In addition, a large part was occupied by extensive public buildings, i.e. the Colosseum or numerous forums, libraries, and basilicas. Its role was determined, however, by its place in the ancient world, as evidenced by the well-known saying "all roads lead to Rome".

Some of the great cities of antiquity delight and are teeming with life to this day, others have been lost for centuries and have only recently been rediscovered. However, they all testify to the diversity of past civilizations, which built their power in many ways.

Bibliography:

• Nigel Davies, The Ancient Kingdoms of Mexico. A magnificent Recreation of their art and life, Penguin Books 1990
• Kamil Janicki, The Roman Empire in numbers. Surprising data and statistics are available at: https://wielkahistoria.pl/cesarstwo-rzymskie-w-liczbach-zaskakujace-dane-i-statystki/, accessed on February 16, 2021
• Witold Rodziński, Historia Chin, Ossolineum 1974
• Richard Tomlinson, From Mycenae to Constantinople. The Evolution of the Ancient City, New York 1996
• Julia Zabłocka, History of the Middle East in Antiquities, Ossolineum 1982