Beyond Practical: Infrastructure in the Capitals of the Roman and Han Empires
This contribution will discuss within a comparative framework a selection of elements of the urban infrastructure of Rome and Chang”an, the capitals of the Roman and Han empires.The provisioning of infrastructural facilities, such as walls, gateways, and road networks, represents one of the most practical stages of the process of planning and construction of a city, as such elements should aim to solve logistical problems and improve the quality of urban life.However, these facilities did not only have practical functions, but they could also be imbued with sacred and ritual significance; be used as instruments of social control, vehicles of political propaganda, or as markers of privileged civic status.In this paper I will look specifically at wall circuits and gates, and at intra-mural road networks, concentrating on brief descriptions of their material remains in Chang”an and Rome; their practical purposes; their symbolism, and the reasons behind their existence.
Anna RAZETO
University of Copenhagen
国内会议
天津
英文
115-124
2012-06-16（万方平台首次上网日期，不代表论文的发表时间）