UNST 220 Understanding Communities
Dr. Martha J. Bianco
Module I Lecture Guide
Part I
Polis, Metropolis, Megalopolis:
From Urban Specks to Global Cities
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I. Introduction
II. What is a City?
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Image from 1926 film Metropolis, set in
year 2000 |
Image from 1982 film Blade Runner (Tyrell
Corporation), set in 2019 |
Image from 1995 television series Star Trek
Deep Space 9 (Bajor, United Federation of Planets) set in 2370 |
III. Cognitive Map
IV. The Study of the City
A. Urban
studies
B. Different paradigms for different disciplines
V. Theories of Urbanization: Where and When Was the First City?
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Map of Ancient Civilizations |
A. The Childe Thesis
1. V. Gordon Childe (1892-1957) was an Australian archaeologist who studied the rise of civilization.
a. the agricultural revolution
b. the urban revolution
mastery over nature 
agriculture surplus development of city
2. P
O
E
T
3.
Cities of the
Fertile Crescent
Map of the Fertile Crescent
Factors
Making Them Cities, According to Childe:
a. size & density
b. diversity & specialization
c. monuments & ruling class
d. trade
e. science & art
f. writing
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Cuneiform process: Writing on soft clay tablet with a reed pen |
Progression from pictograph to cuneiform |
Clay tablet with cuneiform |
Sketched copy of same tablet |
Click to see closeup of a tablet |
B. Other Early Cities
1.
Jericho
2.
Old Jericho
3.
Çatal Hüyük /
Çatalhöyük
4. Tell Hamoukar
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Tell Lidar (photo) |
Tell Megiddo (model) |
Tell Megiddo (color reconstruction) |
C. Jane Jacobs' Trade / “New Obsidian” Theory
desire to carry on trade city settlement agriculture
D. Lewis Mumford and the Sacred Meanings Thesis
desire to have fixed holy
landmarks city settlement agriculture, trade, diversification, science
etc.
E. View this four-minute film of the definitive history of civilization...
2004-2005