Abstract
The paper looks at the emergence of the ancient cities, where they emerged, and how they evolved in different regions. The paper shows how urban centers have evolved over time in large measure due to man's efforts to exploit the natural world to his advantage. The paper discusses how ancient cities laid the foundation for the modern urban community of today.

From the Paper
"The history of the ancient cities of the Mediterranean - indeed, the history of cities everywhere - is an interesting one. To begin with, cities as we understand the term today began to emerge right around the time of the Neolithic revolution as agricultural surplus became sufficient to support heavily-concentrated populations (Brakman et al., 15). In the Mesopotamian world, it appears as though the first genuine city - Eridu - took root around 4900 B.C. This city, like all the others that the Mesopotamians would construct for themselves, had its own patron god and there is evidence that these urban centers had their own education systems (apparently centrally-planned) in addition to being locations that served as religious loci for the people of pre-Christian Mesopotamia."

Tags:Mesopotamia, Eridu, resources, surroundings, exploitation, urban, centers

Abstract
This paper examines the question of when and where ancient cities of the world evolved, particularly in the Mediterranean region. The paper further notes that this is an important area of study because it helps us understand how human beings have historically interacted with the natural world. The paper highlights which early cities took root in the Mediterranean and why they did so. Additionally, the paper looks at why some locations became favored over others and how the earliest cities became the technological fore-runners to today's giant urban centers.

From the Paper
"The question of when and where the ancient cities of the world (at least in the Mediterranean region) sprang up is one that is important if we are to understand how human beings have historically interacted with the natural world. With that in mind, the next few pages will look at when the earliest cities took root in the area and why they did so. Just as importantly, the paper will look at why some locations became favored over others and how the earliest cities became the technological fore-runners to today's giant urban centers. In the end, humankind's urban centers have evolved over time in large measure because of man's efforts to exploit the..."

Tags:ancient, cities, evolution

Abstract
This paper studies the nature of the early state systems of Sumeria, Persia, and Assyria, the first region to experience the development of organized states based on urban civilization. The paper examines their internal structures and relationships with the societies around them, the ways in which they laid the foundations for each other, and the external factors that influenced their development.

From the Paper
"Perhaps most important as a determining and unifying theme in the evolution of state systems in Mesopotamia is the geography of the region. It is significant that it was in the area of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, forming wide fertile valleys enclosed by mountains, that the first urban civilization developed; and the topography, resources and economic potential of the Mesopotamian landscape was crucial in influencing the character of the societies that flourished there."

Tags:irrigation, agriculture, cities, innovations, religion, administration, culture, society, political, life, babylon, tigris, euphrates

Abstract
This paper explains that the evolution of theater in Greece may be linked directly to the festivals of Dionysus, the Grecian god of wine and misrule. The author points out that Greek theaters, including the theater of Dionysus, were not free-standing works of architecture, but rather they were built into hills in amphitheater forms. The theaters of Lycurgus replaced the original wood of the Dionysus theater with stone, reaffirming the importance of theater in the city of Athens' civic and religious life, which continued well into Hellenistic times, culminating in the Romans' added changes to the structure and including the addition of the Bema.

Table of Contents
History of Theater in Ancient Greece
Architecture of Greek Theaters
Parodos
Bema of Phaidros
The Central Section
Marble Throne of the Priest of Dionysus Eleutherios and Other Priests' Seats
Skene
The Stoa on the South Side of Skene

From the Paper
"The parodos of the Theater of Dionysus was a gangway leading into the orchestra over which chorus and actors made their entrances. There are two parodoi, one on each side of the orchestra. Parodos was also the name of the song chanted by the chorus as they entered the orchestra at the beginning of the play. This is another indication of the fusion of the role of ritual, the role of the chorus, and the role of architecture in early Greek theater."

Tags:parodo, bema, lycurgus, priest, chorus

Abstract
This paper examines how most historians, without debate, describe the ancient economy as one of subsistence, of living in a precarious relationship with the terrain, season and weather. In particular, it analysis the ancient economies of Greek and Roman cities covering a range of sources and subjects from trade, to coinage to modern approaches to ancient attitudes. It also looks at modern schools of thought concerning land, tax, trade, agriculture, industry and banking. It concludes that the ancient economy was actually a system of immediacy- what was best for the period existed, whether it was more or less primitive that the period before.

From the Paper
"The self-sufficient nature of the oikos in producing goods for its own use would not be sufficient for trade to the extent of which we have seen. The manufacture of self produced goods is fitting to a period which exists for the period, survival is immediate and the "now" is more important that making provisions for the future, as we have seen in agriculture. The introduction of trade diverges from this economical introversion and opens up the economical sphere. We should not be surprised to see an increase in manufacturing outside the oikos as trade increases , the two are incontrovertibly linked, more surpluses equals more trade, and more trade produces the wealth to create more trade. Similarly, towards the end of the 4th century we should not be surprised to see a specialisation in manufacturing. As Finley states, in large cities involved in commercial trade " one [trade] is easily enough to support a man of necessity he who pursues a very specialised task will do it best" . We can see an evolution from simple house-bound manufacture to large scale specialization for trade. Our one criticism of manufacture within the Graeco-Roman world can be neatly summarized in the story repeated by a number of Roman writers of a man who invented unbreakable glass."

Tags:agriculture, banking, industry, land, modernism, tax, taxation, trade

Abstract
This paper describes that the ancient Israelite family organization during most of the biblical period resembled more of a village concept structured around raising children for the inheritance and survival of the family's traditions and for the building up of the community as a whole. The paper relates that the rise of the monarchy put the family and household under increasing pressure by threatening household land rights and traditional religious practices. The paper further relates that the family again had to change to accommodate the Diaspora beginning in 722 B.C.E , which marked the return of the family structure to the model of the ancestral household of ancient times.

From the Paper
"Before the rise of the national state, the levels of social organization were relatively simple. There can be no doubt that the family was the basic model for human existence and was of paramount importance. The economic role of the family was also very significant in the agrarian-style society that existed from which Israel first built it's foundation upon. The family was fundamental as a model to human society and functioned as the center of not only economics, but social and religious practices as well."

Tags:village, patri-local, monarchy, nationalism, beit-ab

Abstract
The paper relates that when the ancient city of Uruk in southern Mesopotamia was first discovered and unearthed in the early 1900s, many archeologists had no idea about the riches to be found there; the earliest form of cuneiform, seal impression, enormous buildings and temples and other structures, and a city area that extended over 200 acres. The paper shows how Uruk has become the key to a better understanding of the Near East and Mesopotamia and Sumeria in particular.

From the Paper
"The site of ancient Uruk, now often referred to as Warka is a key to ancient Mesopotamian culture not merely because of the size of the ancient city, but also because of "its virtually uninterrupted occupation....and by the rich archeological and epigraphic material it has yielded" (Roux 1986 68). The Near East in ancient days was an area mostly in turmoil. Wars and occupations, overthrows of dynasties, natural and man-made disasters often disrupted the locations of ancient cities which, had they remained intact, might have provided a far greater understanding of those times and its people."

Tags:mesopotamian, culture, excavation

Abstract
This paper provides a brief overview of the evolution of the ancient Olympic Games and discusses ways in which they likely differ from the assumptions of modern readers. It specifically states the myths about the ancient Olympics and then contrasts them with the realities according to ancient texts and archaeological evidence. The paper further describes the religious significance of the ancient games, showing their relationship to Zeus and the various religious rites that took place. Additionally, the paper describes the criteria for an athlete to be accepted to the games and his reward for winning. The paper concludes by showing how Christianity contributed to the demise of the Olympics in ancient times.

Outline:
Introduction
Myths and Realities
The Site & Timing of the Games
Olympic Events
Religious Rites
Athletes
Awards & Rewards
Conclusion

From the Paper
'Like any ancient topic it is fair to say that conclusive evidence of any generalization is limited and that independent facts meld together to create a more or less completed picture of how events over time changed and developed. In the case of the ancient Olympics the event took place roughly every four years (on the longest day of the year) for more than 1,000 years. It is for this reason that a complet picture of the whole event is not possible but some suppositions are, and the greatest one being that the games, events, locations and nearly everything else, other than the fact that it was a competition changed over time."

Tags:ancient Greece, athletes, religious rites, Zeus, Olympia

Abstract
This paper discusses various aspects of the ancient Egyptian city of Alexandria, including its geographic features of its location, details of its population and their occupations, the nature and significance of religion and the structure of secular authority. It also investigates the city's cultural, artistic and architectural achievements. The study concludes by drawing attention to the importance of Alexandria and its civilization to the study and understanding of ancient cultures around the globe.

Abstract
"The site of the city of Akhenaten, the only virtually complete ancient town to have survived from ancient Egypt, lies 160 miles south of Cairo, midway between the modern towns of Minya and Asyut (Weigall 92).

From the Paper
"The site of the city of Akhenaten, the only virtually complete ancient town to have survived from ancient Egypt, lies 160 miles south of Cairo, midway between the modern towns of Minya and Asyut (Weigall 92). It is only at el-Amarna that a comprehensive range of official and residential buildings have been preserved, comprising the essential elements of an Egyptian royal city of the mid-fourteenth century BCE. This paper will look at how urbanism theories apply to the city of Amarna.

INTRODUCTION
The city of Amarna (or "Horizon of the Sun Disk") is located on the eastern side of the Nile in Middle Egypt, half way between Cairo and Luxor. The ancient city is formed by a bay of cliffs to the east and the Nile to the west, taking the shape of an archer's bow, with the Nile as the string and the city couched ..."