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THE FIRST MILLENIUM A.D. IN EUROPE AND THE MEDITERRANEAN – Klavs Randsborg

• Town is what is by virtue of its monuments – investment demonstrates status = within single ideological and cultural period or region – church building can be an indicator of economic growth and decline
• Good chronological and geographical correlation between investment floor mosaics

From Polis to Medina: Urban Change in Late Antique And Early Islamic Syria

• Political chaos and economic decline effectively destroyed classical cities – elite into rural, villa, monastery and then castle. Lose classical aspect, retreat into countryside, forts.
• Continuity of urban life in the East – but physical appearance changes classical city to suqs etc significantly – Madinia – traditional Eastern city - mosque or hammam bath house.
• Result of Arab invasion 630s and Islamicization of social elites.
• Post 540 – Justinian – no evidence of rebuilding Antioch or other cities in classical style.
• Restoration – not even of theatres, although Syemon the Fool mentions theatres in this description if vitality of urban life. Islamic conquest with penchant for equine sports means decline of the theatre, but evidence that decline started before Arabs.
• Public bathing still important part of Middle East culture – but style changes and old public baths decline in size – new Arabic style. Architectural origin of Muslim baths in baths of late Antique Syria. Cleanliness as opposed to meeting point
• Colonnaded streets being built in 4th and 5th centuries – essential part of Syrian city. Conversion into suqs – certainly late Byzantine period, but maybe before Islamic conquests.
• Markets from open to linear, into suqs – even high status products. Public spaces built over 0 Damascus Agora into residential district.
• Islamic invasion saw continuation of existing trends. New settlements in the limestone massif – prosperous as seen from churches, but windy streets, no evidence of town planning etc. Kaprobarada and Kapropera
• Coming of Islam made an important contribution – new sort of public building appeared – the Mosque. Mosqiue where political and social elites gathered – take over role of hippodrome or theatre – theatres no place in Muslim life. Also education and court – lot of features into the mosque.
• Was some planning in Islamic cities – Samarra in Iraq Romanesque planning – better planned than late Byzantine settlements, but not to the same extent as classical sites.
• Half a millennium of tradition from polis to medina – many of which started before Islamic conquests
• Islamicisation is often seen as decay – descent into urban squalor from classical ideal – value judgements – actually increased urban vitality in Damascus and Aleppo. Built environment changed as culture and custom changed – long term social, economic, cultural forces not by admin incompetence or aesthetic insensitivity.
• Public services only remain if protected by an active and vigilant civic authority – otherwise built over. If built over why no authority?
• Factors leading to urban change:
• Demographic decline caused by plague and invasion – post 540 plague widespread decline in Mediterranean population – many polis did not continue into medina an urban history ends – Chalcis. Earthquakes changed Beirut – destroyed 550 and rebuilt more Islamic style. Damascus, Hims, Aleppo – increase population 500 – 750
• Government took over maintenance and construction of public monuments and buildings- concluded middle 6th century – but nothing new built and unwilling and unable to sustain buildings – if they ever did it was churches that they built.
• Islamic state much more minimalist – tax revenues distributed in area. No need theatres etc, tended to build mosques and running water for ablution. Neither resources nor need for public buildings, continuation of Byzantine decline.
• Roman law about public spaces and buildings that disfigure appearance – but did they have the resources or the administrative network to enforce these things? Distinct divide between public and private.
• Islamic law based on unit of house and family – allowed to do what they like if it did not encroach on neighbour – neighbour’s prerogative to take it to the qadi. No care for public space, but privacy big issue.
• Classical cities – political and social more than anything – relied on curiales collecting taxes. Elites with government paid for taxes and tax collecting – thus when tax system declines so elites move away. By 7th century old style political elite almost vanished.
• Elites and administrators pay little attention to commerce and markets – state aced outside market place, Christian wary of money making etc
• Muslims viewed honest commerce as more meritorious than government service – commerce of city more if interest than monumental buildings – jurists and qadi drawn from merchants, not government or military servants. Natural commercial outweigh formal planning – colonnaded streets to suqs, increasing retail outlets in suqs - subdivision and new structures into old roadway.
• Design into commercial needs 0 no government could intervene
• Disappearance of wheeled cart profound impact of urban planning – no need for wide streets as pack animals more efficient (domestication of camels).
• Long change from polis to medina – social, economic changes – from 6th century to 10th or 11th 0 – Islam one stage 0 Islam contributed new attitude to public law and administration, new type of public building (mosque)
• Intrusion into public space may indicate extra vitality in urban life, not urban decay
• Mirrored in Italy- decline 6th century if classical cities paralleled in Italy- whilst Islamic invasions as destructive as Lombard invasions. Distinguishing feature is success of some inland towns – city-based government, increased commercial activity and resulting opening up of and-routes in Middle East 0 saw new type of city which design derived not from structured urban classical environment 0 but from chaotic plan of 6th century town out of which I grew.

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