The Cambridge Urban History of Europe: Volume 1, Ancient Europe

Examines urban culture in the ancient world, identifying key issues and offering strategies for understanding urbanisation in ancient Europe.

Maarten Prak (General editor), Penelope J. E. Davies (Edited by), Christina G. Williamson (Edited by)

9781108834513, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 20 November 2025

796 pages, 35 b/w illus. 10 maps 10 tables
23.4 x 16.2 x 5.1 cm, 1.27 kg

Volume I offers a broad perspective on urban culture in the ancient European world. It begins with chronological overviews which paint in broad brushstrokes a picture that serves as a frame for the thematic chapters in the rest of the volume. Positioning ancient Europe within its wider context, it touches on Asia and Africa as regions that informed and were later influenced by urban development in Europe, with particular emphasis on the Mediterranean basin. Topics range from formal characteristics (including public space), water provision, waste disposal, urban maintenance, spaces for the dead, and border spaces; to ways of thinking about, visualising, and remembering cities in antiquity; to conflict within and between cities, economics, mobility and globalisation, intersectional urban experiences, slavery, political participation, and religion.

List of figures
List of maps
List of tables
List of contributors to volume I
Acknowledgements
Editor's introduction to the series
Part I. Approaching the Ancient City: 1. The biography of the ancient city, historiographies and intellectual traditions Penelope J. E. Davies and Christina G. Williamson
2. The rise of urbanisation and its impact on Europe Ian Morris
Part II. The Rise and Expansion of Cities: 3. The first cities of Europe: Minoan and Mycenean Urbanism Todd Whitelaw
4. Iron age Europe Francesca Fulminante, Katharine Rebay-Salisbury and Roderick Salisbury
5. The advent of the Greek-city state, and colonization in the mediterranean Lieve Donnellan
6. Urban expansion after Alexander the great Martin Zimmermann and Alexander Free
7. (Proto)urban Italy Francesca Fulminante
8. The spread of urbanism in Italy in the age of Roman expansion Nicolà Terrenato
9. An Urban empire under Rome Andrew Dufton
10. Urban expansion beyond empire Caroline Goodson
Part III. Conceptualising the City: 11. Greco-Roman Urban imaginaries: the civic deal, ideal(ized) cities, and the civic template Arjan Zuiderhoek
12. Urban images Diane Favro
13. The past in the present: monuments, myths, and memory in the ancient city Sarah Rous
14. Lost cities as an integral part of ancient urbanization Martin Zimmermann
Part IV. Designing the City: 15. Zoning the city Christopher P. Dickenson and Penelope Goodman
16. Building city walls Seth Barnard
17. Water and the city Rabun Taylor
18. Waste management and the sustainable city Allison Emmerson
Part V. Governing the City: 19. Politics and participation in the democratic cities of classical Greece Eric Wild Robinson
20. Politics and participation: cities and empires Arjan Zuiderhoek
21. War and the ancient city Charlotte van Regenmortel and Jeremy Armstrong
22. Revolts and uprisings Greg Woolf
Part VI. Urban Economies: 23. The economic foundations of Greco-Roman urbanism Miko Flohr
24. Institutions and urban maintenance Zosia Archibald
25. Globalisation networks: the role of Urban nodes and ties Rubina Raja
Part VII. Urban Societies: 26. Mobility and migration in the city Claire Holleran
27. Slavery and the ancient city Jason Porter
28. Intersectional perspectives on the city Julietta Steinhauer
29. The festive city Asuman Lätzer-Lasar and Richard Lin
30. Religious change and the use of religion in Greek and Roman cities Jörg Rüpke
Part VIII. The City and its Vital Hinterland: 31. Urban and rural landscape Yannis Lolos
32. Urban green: the gardens and designed urban landscapes of the classical World Annette Giesecke
33. Borderscapes Saskia Stevens
34. The cities of the dead Tamara M. Dijkstra and Dorian Borbonus
Index.

Subject Areas: European history [HBJD]