Typology of ancient cities of Asia Minor according to their location and orientation

Abstract

The aim of the article is to describe the urban structure of the ancient polis and inter-polis spaces as they were in the period of mature antiquity, and to determine the regularities of their formation and development. The article uses materials of expeditions to Asia Minor, modern Turkey, historical sources, as well as cartographic materials and satellite data. A reconstructive map of Asia Minor and its fragments is drawn up. The territory, which approximately repeated the outlines of the Seleucid Empire and the Kingdom of Pergamon later conquered by Rome, was chosen because it contained the most typical poleis with a variety of locations, sizes and compositions, convenient for analysing their urban structure. The article considers the basic principles of planning and location of central cities. It develops a typology of the siting of the cities and the criteria on the basis of which these cities were located. The authors give examples of the most typical and representative layouts.

Keywords

• polis
• chora
• demos
• asti
• sympolitia
• Hellenistic