Any definition of ‘modernity’ must be held accountable within the context of question. Here, in ancient Rome, ‘the Forum’ is an example of the use of public space that vastly influences later periods of modernity. This was a public space in which commerce, business, entertainment, the administration of justice, and even prostitution occurred. The Roman Forum, or Forum Romanum, was the central area of the ancient Roman city. It was designed by architect Vitruvius in AD203 and has proportions of 3:2 (length to width). The Roman Forum became the spectacular central showcase of the Roman Empire. Below is a map of ancient Rome with Forum Romanum visable slightly to the north of the Circus Maximus.
Engraved map of Ancient Rome, hand colored including 11 drawings of buildings. Map author: W.B Clarke. Published by Chapman & Hall. Atlas map height (31cm) width (40cm). To view original source of this map simply right click the image and click ‘open in new tab’.
This is simply one example of the many forums of Ancient Rome. This aspect of the ancient city was clearly of cultural importance for understanding the impact of the public space on the people’s visions of modernity.
Similar to the Roman forum, the ancient Greeks had ‘the agora’. This was a single place, like the forum, where education, politics, religion, arts, and athletics all came together. It was principally the core of ancient Greek society as the sacred and profane met here. However, these agoras were relegated to a more secular role with the introduction of the catholic church creating a gap between religious and commercial space. In the map below, one can see the Ancient Agora of Classical Athens located to the northwest of the ancient acroploe.
Map from 1908 details Athens’ cityscape. Original scale was 1:10’000. Link to source embedded in the image.
From these two examples, it is clear that public space has been a much desired area for people who wish to showcase everything and anything since ancient times. This architecture, in the form of town squares and meeting points, is an insight into the style of that day. We still live in cities that look like they do due to the way public space was used . To quote the architect and city planner Hans Blumenfeld;
“The social life of men is the specific side of nature that the city builder’s art reflects.”
Thanks for having a read, more on the historical geography of the city to come soon 🙂
Historical Geographies of the City 