ARCT421 - Introduction to Urban design & Planning Spring semester 2015

Instructors : Dr. Anna GrichtingTA : Arch. Luzita ball

QU - Qatar UniversityCENG - College of Engineering

DAUP - Department of Architecture and Urban Planning

 Student name : Somaia El-SherifStudent ID : 201104604

The PolisBy: H.D.F. Kitto

1. Author background

• Humphrey Davey Findley Kitto ( 1897 – 1982 )

• British classical scholar of Cornish ancestry

• He Wrote a book called "In the Mountains of Greece",

• Explains his trip in That Country With Unimportant Mino reference to the ancient times in 1952.

• He published “The Greeks“ that became a standard text.

• This book covered the ancient Greek culture and traditions.

1. Author background• Date: 1951• Period: Modernization• Summary: More Than a City-State

• For the Greeks, the inhabited, ‘civilized’ world had certain essential features: the use of Greek language, a recognizable religion giving offerings to the gods, and a host of civic customs and institutions summed up in the notion of the polis, the Greek city-state. It included the idea of a centrally organized place where social life was carried out publicly before the human community and the gods. It evolved in some cases to include ideas of citizenship whereby most adult males were recognized as part of the polity and had both obligations and rights. It often included the use of a central agora, or market place, the use of gymnasia for general education, athletics, and military training, and most poleis (plural of polis) also had a central citadel or defensible area near the main city.

2. Terminology

We usually translate “ Polis” as “ City-state”

The Real Polis wasn’t much like a city and was much more than a state

A “ Self-governing-community” is a closet translation to Polis

In order to be able to understand the real meaning of a “ Polis” , We have to be able to understand the Greek history, mind & achievements

2.A. History

The classical Greek Polis came of age in the 5th century BCE

Fifth-century Athens is the Greek city-state of Athens in the time from 480 BC-404 BC. This was a period of Athenian political hegemony, economic growth and cultural flourishing formerly known as the Golden Age of Athens

2.B. Polis physical form

The physical form stressed Public spaces

They emphasized public temples, stadiums and agora (a combined market place and public forum)

Private houses were usually away from streets

In Athens, Public spaces were beautifully constructed of Marble, which shows that the community devoted a lot of it resources to it

2.B. Polis physical form

2.B. Polis physical form

How did the Polis arose in Greece ?

Geographic explanation Economic reasons Greek character

( Human Qualities )

2.B. Polis physical form

1. Geographic reasonsPhysical nature of the country ( Mountainous terrain ) which acted as physical barrier> Sub division helped but wasn’t a major reason. There were some neighboring Poleis which didn’t have interaction

2. Economic reasons Transport of goods was difficult except by sea, when people weren’t so confident about it.> There was no great economic interdependence or reciprocal pull between the different parts of the country , strong enough to counteract the desire of Greek to live in small communities

3. The Greek character“Acropolis” meant for Greek the stronghold of the whole community and the center of public life which later meant Citadel .The difference between Territory and towns as centers

3. Confusing size with significance

Ancient Greek philosophers and size of the Polis:In Plato’s Republic or Aristotle’s politics, We find that the ideal city shall have 5000 citizens, where people can know each other by sight

Only 3 poleis had more than 20,000 citizens, two were in Sicily, and the third was Athens

Scale of Polis to scale of our cities today , Aristotle’s Philosophy

4. State and Community

Polis then originally Citadel may mean as much as “ The whole communal life of people, political, cultural, moral even economic”

As to the author, It’s equivalent to saying “ Our national wealth” in present day global societies

5. Social life and coherence

The polis was a living community based on kinship, and a kind of extended family Religion, art, games, and discussion of things were people needs that had to be satisfied only through the PolisFor us, it’s as voluntary associations or entrepreneurs appealing to individuals This partly can explain the difference between the Greek drama and the modern cinema