DSBcB24 The Formation and Development of Cities in Antiquity

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2026
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Tomáš Štěpánek (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Tomáš Štěpánek
Department of Classical Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Jitka Erlebachová
Supplier department: Department of Classical Studies – Faculty of Arts
Prerequisites
! DSBcB024 Ancient Cities
Basic knowledge of the political and cultural aspects of the ancient world
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 70 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/70, only registered: 0/70, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/70
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
In the weekly lectures made by contact education, students, through the analysis and interpretation of the available written and archaeological sources, will get insight into the origin and development of the cities in the ancient world. The main topics of the teaching are subjectively selected phenomena (the emergence of the cities, urbanism, classical roman city etc.), but also the historical period viewed from the perspective of urbanism (late Bronze Age, the Late Antiquity).
Learning outcomes
Student will be able to:
- Identify and summarize important features of the ancient city
- Identify and describe ancient urban trends
- Apply different insight into ancient history
- Analyze current scientific knowledge in the ancient planning
Syllabus
  • 1: Archeology and written sources
  • 2: The emergence of "cities" in the Middle East
  • 3: Development of the oldest settlements - the Hittites, Minoans
  • 4: The emergence of cities in Greece and Italy
  • 5: Foundation Myths
  • 6: Celtic oppida
  • 7: Development of cities in the Mediterranean - economics, architecture, offices
  • 8: Unification of the city under Romans
  • 9: City transformation between late antiquity and Middle Ages
Literature
    required literature
  • Města, která utvářela starověký svět. Edited by John Julius Norwich, Translated by Jana Šimonová - Kateřina Zerzán. Vydání první. Praha: Vyšehrad, 2016, 240 stran. ISBN 9788074296949. info
  • HANSEN, Mogens Herman. Polis : an introduction to the ancient Greek City-State. 1st pub. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006, viii, 237. ISBN 9780199208500. info
  • LEICK, Gwendolyn. Mezopotámie : počátky měst. Translated by Luděk Vacín. 1. vyd. v českém jazyce. Praha: BB/art, 2005, 359 s. ISBN 8073415550. info
    recommended literature
  • Settlement, urbanization, and population. Edited by Alan K. Bowman - Andrew Wilson. First published. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011, xx, 362. ISBN 9780198788515. info
  • LAURENCE, Ray, A. S. ESMONDE CLEARY and Gareth SEARS. The city in the Roman West, c. 250 BC - c. AD 250. 1st pub. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011, xiv, 355. ISBN 9780521701402. info
  • DELIYANNIS, Deborah Mauskopf. Ravenna in late antiquity. 1st pub. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010, xix, 444. ISBN 9780521836722. info
  • ALGAZE, Guillermo. Ancient Mesopotamia at the dawn of civilization : the evolution of an urban landscape. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2008, xviii, 230. ISBN 9780226013770. info
  • YOFFEE, Norman. Myths of the archaic state : evolution of the earliest cities, states, and civilizations. 1st pub. New York: Cambridge University, 2005, xiii, 277. ISBN 9780521521567. info
  • LEIGHTON, Robert. Tarquinia : an Etruscan city. 1st publ. London: Duckworth, 2004, xii, 218. ISBN 0715631624. info
  • CORNELL, Tim. The beginnings of Rome : Italy and Rome from the Bronze Age to the Punic Wars (c. 1000-264 BC). 1st pub. London: Routledge, 1995, xx, 507. ISBN 9780415015950. info
  • RYKWERT, Joseph. The idea of a town : the anthropology of urban form in Rome, Italy and the ancient world. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1976, 242 s. ISBN 0691039011. info
Teaching methods
weekly lectures
Assessment methods
activity in lessons, written test
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
The course is taught once in two years.
The course is taught every week.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2020, Spring 2022.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2026, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2026/DSBcB24