|
|
The foundation of a Roman town involved a clear distinction between the area which belonged to the countryside and that dedicated to urban life; sometimes these were physically divided by the town walls. The articulation of a town was the principal means by which the Romans were able to dismantle and transform the economic and social situation which preceded the conquest; the new arrangement conformed to the expectations and ideology of the conquerors. The urban planning process, a subtle instrument able to adapt to varying geographical circumstances and to previous human settlements, involved the rational organization of the available space in the form of blocks (insulae) arranged around two principal road axes, the north-south cardo and the east-west decumanus. |
|
|
|
|