RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATIONS

Along the banks of great rivers , villages grew into towns

and cities

Between 3100 B.C. and 1500 B.C.

Flourished in areas which were sparsely populated but well-

watered and fertile

Mesopotamian civilization- along Tigris and Euphrates

Egyptian- along Nile

Indus Valley civilization- along Indus

Chinese- along Yellow river

 Mesopotamian Civilization

• Often known as “Cradle of civilization”

• Saw the birth of civilization around 3500 B.C.

Important cities:
Ur
Babylon

Planning concept:
• Situated along water course providing drinking water and main means of
communication
• Cities enclosed by wall and surrounded by villages and hamlets
• Centered around Ziggurat complex and palace
• Hierarchy of roads – indicating vehicular and pedestrian movement
• Segregation of residential and commercial/industrial structures
• Distinct areas for rich and poor.
 EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION
• Emerged before 3000 B.C. – during the pre-historic age on the banks of river Nile

• Land was confined between natural barriers of desert, cliff and river

• Town planning was orthogonal in concept- all roads and buildings running parallel to Nile in the
north-south direction or perpendicular to it.

• Important cities are – El Kahun (worker’s town), Giza and Thebes

• El Kahun:
small settlement for housing workers engaged in building nearby pyramids
Zoning was done to segregate different classes of people
• Giza:
also known as ‘ Pyramid City’ to house priests and servants of the pyramid
• Thebes:
Capital of Egyptian Empire

Causes of Decay:
No external force or invasion by foreigners but due to internal system
Pharaoh assumed the power of the god leading to anarchy.
 CHINESE CIVILIZATION
• Emerged in 21st century B.C. on the banks of Yellow river
• ‘Cheng’ in Chinese means city or a city wall. So all cities were
surrounded by walls or moats
• Grid pattern of street layout with palace or office of the Emperor at
the centre
• All major buildings face south
• 9 major avenues along longitudinal direction and 9 along transverse
direction
• Road width derived from the axle length of a Chariot
• Hierarchy of roads existed – main roads 9 chariots, ring roads 7
chariots and sub-urban roads 5 chariots wide
• Important cities:
Jiankang (Nanjing)
Dadu (Beijing)
 INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION
• Fertile plains to live in and pasture land to raise animals
• Warm climate and a permanent supply of water
• Important cities:
Mohenjodaro
Harappa
• Perpendicular or criss-crossing road layout
• Excellent system of drains and sewers
• Main streets were about 45 feet wide

Causes of Decay:
Intermittent floods
War with foreigners and among races within
Consumption of major vegetation in firing of bricks made the
land bare
 GREEK CITIES

• During the early year of Athenian democracy, Greek city

was a maze of wandering unpaved lanes
• These cities were lacking in drainage and sanitation
• Water was carried from local wells
• Waste was disposed of in the street
• Palace was not located with much importance
• Except temples, public buildings were less in number.
• Agora or market place – the centre of all public activities
was irregular in form
• No distinction between dwellings of rich and poor
• City usually surrounded by protective walls
 GREEK CITIES

• In later part of 5th century B.C. Hippodamus- a city planner from Miletus applied grid-
iron pattern to obtain a rational arrangement of buildings and circulation
• City plan was conceived as a design to serve all people
• Agora was usually in the centre with major East-West and North-South streets
leading to it and getting terminated over there
• Agora was geometrical in form during this period
• From chronicles of various Greek writers , we come to know about building
regulations existing during that period:
1) Law restricting building from encroaching into streets
2) Prohibition against projection of upper floors beyond wall line of first floor
3) Windows were not permitted to open directly upon streets
4) Water drains were not allowed to empty into streets

Important cities:
Miletus
Priene
 ROMAN CITIES
• Copied Greek system, grafted the forms upon
irregular pattern of their villages and also used
them for their new towns
• Romans excelled in their technical
achievements- developed efficient water supply
and distribution system and drainage system
with help of aquaducts.

Important cities:
Pompeii
Harculaneum