Rome and Sydney

Question: How was the city founded?

Rome

Virgil’s Aeneid has Aeneas ordering the defeated army of Troy to sail to the Italian coast where their descendants later found Rome. One story states that Romulus and Remus are descendants of the Trojans and are twin sons of the war god Mars. As infants they were left out to die, but a shepherd finds them being cared for by a wolf and saves them from exposure. When they grow up they found the city of Rome but argue about who it should be named after and who should rule. There is a skirmish and Romulus kills Remus. Thus, the city is named Rome after Romulus. Rome needed inhabitants so they opened the gates to criminals, exiles and the generally unwanted. This made for a society greatly in need to women, so they hosted a festival and invited people from the surrounding towns. At a signal the men stole the unmarried maidens, later famously known as the Sabine women.

Sydney

On January 26, 1788 a fleet of ships arrived in Australia to create a convict settlement, to exile prisoners from the general British population. The convicts farmed the land and built roads and buildings. The settlement in Australia was deemed necessary because of the loss of the thirteen colonies in America. The area that is now Sydney was settled on because of the fertile soil and the reliable source of fresh water. The land was already inhabited by Aboriginal people numbering between 4000 and 8000. It is estimated that between 500 and 1000 Aboriginals died from smallpox in the years after the British settlement. Sydney is named after Thomas Townshend, Lord Sydney, who was the British Home Secretary at the time.

Question: How did geography play a role in the siting of the city?

Rome

Rome is located in central Italy on the Tiber River. The original settlement of the city formed on seven hills facing a ford—the only natural ford on the Tiber in this area. The proximity to water is an obvious draw for anyone trying to establishment a settlement, providing both resource and the ability to trade and communicate ideas. The city is located 24 kilometers from the Tyrrhenian Sea, and thus enjoys a Mediterranean-like climate. Because the city is built on volcanic ruins, the soil is extremely rich in water springs and minerals, making it ideal for agriculture and providing food for a growing population.

Sydney

Sydney is located on the Southeast coast of Australia on the Pacific Ocean. On the West the city is bordered by the Blue Mountains, on the North by the Hawkesbury River. Sydney Harbour is the largest natural harbour in the world, created when the ocean level rose and flooded deep river valleys carved into the sandstone. Sydney’s location on the ocean is ideal for trade and travel, thus explaining why the city arose where it did.

Question: How was the city laid out? (map, boundaries, design, land uses)

Rome

- BOUNDARIES: "The emperors from 96-180 AD built a strong environment, extended the boundaries of the empire, and did much to improve the beauty of Rome. After Aurelius died in 180 AD, frequent frontier attacks and plague weakened Rome, beginning its downfall."

- DESIGN: The design of ancient Rome was based on the architecture because the architecture was supposed to attract audiences. The roman architects modeled the design of their buildings after the Greeks. Arches and vaults were common. Famous buildings of Rome include the Coliseum, and many aqueducts and lighthouses. Marble and stone were commonly used materials in the design of buildings.

LAND USES: In ancient Rome, grain was the most important crop, while cattle and sheep were common farm animals of the time.

Sidney

BOUNDARIES: Downtown, Pyrmont, Ultimo, Haymarket, Wooloomooloo and recently, the City of South Sydney became part of the City of Sydney.

DESIGN: No specific architectural style seen throughout the city of Sydney. There are many buildings designed with a classical or old-style. There are also exist many buildings with a contemporary design.

LAND USES: Open spaces in Sydney are used for parks.

From this research, I have concluded that the biggest differences between our ancient city, Rome, and our modern city, Sydney, is what is seen in the architecture. Buildings in ancient Rome had a particular style, and adaptations were made to the style to accompany for an increased population. Sydney contains many beautiful buildings, but there is no particular style involved. the resources used in Rome were marble and stone, these are expensive resources. Today, we use inexpensive materials to design buildings. Today, we use the most time efficient strategies for design also.

As far as land use, ancient cities used open land for crops and livestock. Modern cities use their land for parks, because the areas are more densely populated, so farms are not seen in the middle of a city.

Question: What allowed the city to grow, flourish, and decline (if it did)?

Rome

Rome grew as a city because of its access to crucial trade routes and ports, especially the Mediterranean that allowed connections between Europe and other continents to trade. Along with the trade route access, Rome grew large amounts of grapes, olives, and wheat that became an important part of trading. These two concepts warranted more jobs, and as more people came to Rome it grew from a village into a city, and eventually into an empire that would expand and control large parts of Europe. After it’s initial growth, Rome continued to flourish because of their superior infrastructure, and an organized government and military that offered citizens both protection and sustainability. The city became a leader of structural infrastructure in the world, and this benefitted the city in many ways that would prove beneficial in the long run. The military of the Roman Empire was based in the capital city of Rome, and as the military overtook more land in Europe and had more authoritative control, the city of Rome possessed more dominance and power. As a direct result, the city flourished from the huge amount of trade that occurred in Roman ports and access routes. The eventual downfall of the Roman Empire became apparent, but the city is still intact and is the capital of Rome. In the modern day, Rome doesn’t carry the power that it did several centuries ago, but is still an important city that functions as the capital of a strong economic country.

Sydney

Aborigines initially inhabited the area where Sydney is located, but the city of Sydney was founded by British sea captains who were in search of a place to jail more British and Irish convicts, as well as find more land and natural resources. The first buildings and signs of modernization were built by these convicts, and as more housing became available, immigrants began flocking to Sydney for new life opportunities. The open and uninhabited land created the chance for farmers to harvest crops and goods that could easily be traded because Sydney is located right on the coast of Australia. This boasted trade in the area, and Sydney began to prosper. In the 1950’s, a gold rush brought more immigrants in with the intention of gaining wealth. As trade access grew, the population increased and the city grew both in terms of size and economic standing. This growth lasted past the gold rush, as Sydney has continued to grow to the modern day, and is the largest city in Australia, as well the most crucial port for the continent.

Question: How did the culture influence the city and how did the city influence the culture? (Relationship to Nature, housing, energy, food, transportation).

Rome

The culture of Rome is very pragmatic, and influenced the development of the city. They are a business-minded people. The expression “All roads lead to Rome” should not be taken lightly; Rome did build thousands of miles of roads and it connected the Empire. The Romans tried to control Nature. They also drained the Campus Martius, which was originally a marsh between the Quirinal and Capitoline hill, and became the mustering ground for armies in early Rome. The Roman view on religion was called do ut des (I give in order that you give). There were hundreds of temples in Rome to different deities and aspects, from the god Jupiter Optimus Maximus to the god of wheat blight. The city influenced the culture by where it was founded; the seven hills. The culture of Rome is very hierarchical and you could tell how important a person was by which hill they lived and how high up on it. The city itself is said to have started out as farmland, and forever on, farming was seen as one of the most noble professions, with Cicero extolling in the courtroom his client’s virtue by saying he was a farmer.

Sydney

Has many gardens and open spaces, giving the people a much more relaxed view on life – leading much less stressful lives than comparative Americans. This started way back in the early 19^th century under Governor Macquarie, who had a vision of a beautiful and open city. The gardens were dedicated to the, “recreation and amusement of the inhabitants of the town.” This has also led to the city being known for its art and entertainment, and it competes with Melbourne for the title of the center for Australian art. The gardens were also for the troops to exercise in, which has led to the formation of numerous rugby and cricket leagues in the city.