City Planning on Ancient Lepcis, Libya The Romans have been recognized for their intricate ‘ancient city town planning’ since the Oxford historian, Haverfield, “asserted the notion of the planned Roman city in 1913” (Laurence, p. 12). This has been studied throughout the course of Pompeii during the quarter, and will be discussed in another Roman city, Lepcis Magna - otherwise known as Libya. Lepcis Magna is considered one of the largest Roman cities in Africa, and will therefore portray similarities with Pompeii in terms of its public buildings, architecture, and city services. This paper will outline Lepcis Magna’s similarities to the ancient city of Pompeii by comparing its streets, public buildings, and city services. Lepcis began as
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The obtuse angle between the two streets was divided by an enormous ornamental exedra, from the wings of which triple arches spanned the entrances to the two streets, enclosing a polygonal piazza symmetrical about the axis of the exedra” (Ward-Perkins, p. 61)
Another example of the irregularities of city planning took place in the Forum and Basilica. The dis-alignment of the street plan caused the vertical alignment of the Basilica to fall crooked from the Forum. The problem was fixed by the adjustments of the size of the rooms and by inserting another extra room to match the rows of colonnades next to it. On the second period of consolidation, the Hadrianic Baths, that lies in between the main streets and the wadi-bank, proved to be more efficient for the the city. Most of the notable buildings were built in between the Baths, sea, and the wadi. These sites were consisted of three different buildings: an artificial harbor along with subsidiary buildings; a colonial street that led to the monumental piazza beside the Baths; and a Forum along with the Basilica that laid opposite to the Severan …show more content…
For instance, both cities were built on even older cities - and therefore has a irregular form of city mapping. There are some circumstances when the regions in Pompeii would contrast from one another, that one can still tell the older city. Lepcis Magna and Pompeii also have main roads that go in between the city. The only difference is that Lepcis only has one road that crosses into the city, while Pompeii would have more than 2. Finally, Lepcis Magna and Pompeii are both located near the sea; a similarity that speaks highly about the Roman tactics on conquering a city (as long as there’s potential for economic, social, and military gain, it’s always a good idea to take over a city). The elements of the city provide similarities on the structure of the Roman city as well. Both cities contain Forums, Basilicas, Amphitheaters, Baths, Palestras, Theaters, and Temples. It is from this finding that people could concur the overall power of the Roman Empire. The ability of a city to contain luxurious public buildings for everyday usage is more of a privilege than a
The obtuse angle between the two streets was divided by an enormous ornamental exedra, from the wings of which triple arches spanned the entrances to the two streets, enclosing a polygonal piazza symmetrical about the axis of the exedra” (Ward-Perkins, p. 61)
Another example of the irregularities of city planning took place in the Forum and Basilica. The dis-alignment of the street plan caused the vertical alignment of the Basilica to fall crooked from the Forum. The problem was fixed by the adjustments of the size of the rooms and by inserting another extra room to match the rows of colonnades next to it. On the second period of consolidation, the Hadrianic Baths, that lies in between the main streets and the wadi-bank, proved to be more efficient for the the city. Most of the notable buildings were built in between the Baths, sea, and the wadi. These sites were consisted of three different buildings: an artificial harbor along with subsidiary buildings; a colonial street that led to the monumental piazza beside the Baths; and a Forum along with the Basilica that laid opposite to the Severan …show more content…
For instance, both cities were built on even older cities - and therefore has a irregular form of city mapping. There are some circumstances when the regions in Pompeii would contrast from one another, that one can still tell the older city. Lepcis Magna and Pompeii also have main roads that go in between the city. The only difference is that Lepcis only has one road that crosses into the city, while Pompeii would have more than 2. Finally, Lepcis Magna and Pompeii are both located near the sea; a similarity that speaks highly about the Roman tactics on conquering a city (as long as there’s potential for economic, social, and military gain, it’s always a good idea to take over a city). The elements of the city provide similarities on the structure of the Roman city as well. Both cities contain Forums, Basilicas, Amphitheaters, Baths, Palestras, Theaters, and Temples. It is from this finding that people could concur the overall power of the Roman Empire. The ability of a city to contain luxurious public buildings for everyday usage is more of a privilege than a