Olynthos, Greece, Europe
 
 
Year-432latitude: 40° 17'
longitude: 23° 20'
Period
Initiator(s)
Planning organization
Nationality initiator(s)Greek
Designer(s) / Architect(s)
Design organization
Inhabitants15,000 (-400)
Target population
Town website
Town related links
Literature

type of New Town: > scale of autonomy
New-Town-in-Town
Satellite
New Town
Company Town
> client
Private Corporation
Public Corporation
> policy
Capital
Decentralization
Industrialization
Resettlement
Economic
 

Olynthus plan by D.M.Robinson
source:



Olynthus plan
source: Nicholas Cahill (2001), Household and City Organization at Olynthus, New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press. Online available from : http://www.stoa.org/hoppe r/text.jsp?doc=Stoa:text: 2003.01.0003 (accessed : 20-10-2010)



Olynthus' streets and blocks
source: Michael E. Smith , Form and Meaning in the Earliest Cities : A new approach to Ancient Urban Planning, Journal of Planning History, Vol.6, No.1, February 2007 3-47, DOI : 10.1177/1538513206293713, 2007 Sage Publications



Olynthus' "pastas-type" house
source: Nicholas Cahill (2001), Household and City Organization at Olynthus, New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press. Online available from :http://www.stoa.org/hopp er/text.jsp?doc=Stoa:text :2003.01.0003 (accessed : 25-10-2010)



Olynthus Villa Section
source: Nicholas Cahill (2001), Household and City Organization at Olynthus, New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press. Online available from :http://www.stoa.org/hopp er/text.jsp?doc=Stoa:text :2003.01.0003 (accessed : 20-10-2010)


Olynthus is an ancient city in Chalcidice and according to mythology it was founded by Olynthus, the son of Heracles (the Greek demigod who is more known with the Roman version of his name, Hercules). The urban site is divided into South and North Hill with each part being built in different historical periods. The South Hill was firstly inhabited during the Neolithic period but the settlement was abandoned during the Bronze Age. According to Herodotus, in the mid-seventh century BCE, the South Hill was inhabited again by the Vottieans. This town, that wasn't based on a plan, was destroyed by the Persians in 479 BCE and turned over to the Greeks of Chalcidice. It then became a Greek polis, also member of the Delian League (an association of Greek city-states under the leadership of Athens).

In 432 BCE, however, the king Perdiccas II of Macedon encouraged coastal towns near Olynthus to apostatize from the Delian League and unite altogether creating a synoecism (συνοικισμός) in order to revolt against Athens. Although the other cities were not abandoned, there was an increase in population which could not be accommodated by the existing settlement of Olynthus. The necessity for a larger, but also better organized and defensible city resulted in the expansion of Olynthus by the designation of a new settlement lying on the North Hill.

As most of the classical Greek cities, Olynthus' new plan was based on the gridiron system, and more specifically, on the hippodamian model. (The hippodamian model is analyzed in the database entry : Alexandria of Egypt). The fortified classical city of Olynthus has been claimed to be “an extreme example of a modular urban plan”1. The orthogonal street pattern is based on the orientation. As it can be seen in the illustration, the vertical streets have a north – south orientation, while the horizontal a west – east one. The rectangular blocks created by the intersection of the streets, consisted of ten houses each, two rows of five houses with an alley among them. It is really remarkable that the homogeneity of the orthogonal street pattern is also found in the housing blocks and the dwellings.
There have been many speculations on why everything seemed to be so standardized. The grid, even before Hippodamus, was seen as a system of better organization, easily extensible and proper for the Greek climate as it could ensure the same orientation for dwellings : southern direction of the houses, in order to provide sun during the winter and shading during the summer.

When observing (illustration 3) the detailed part of the town plan of Olynthus, we can see that almost everything is “standardized” with fixed size (with the exception of the blocks and houses abutting on the fortification walls). Although the reason is still unclear, some of the opinions expressed attribute this homogeneity to isonomia – everyone equal before the law – and to the fact that most of the houses were built simultaneously; the excavations have shown that indeed, there was only one roof top, running along the side of a block, for all the five houses of that row. However, according to Cahill (Cahill, 2001), although the houses had fixed size and followed the same principles in their plans and the city seemed extremely organized, “variation and “messiness”” were prevalent. He believes that “Greek cities had to balance such social ideals as isonomia with social realities of inequality” (Cahill, 2001). 2

The similarities, then, in the architectural layout, didn't mean that the spaces were used in the same way by everyone. As Aeschines had said, “For it is not the lodgings and the houses which give their names to the men who have lived in them, but it is the tenants who give to the places the names of their own pursuits. Where, for example, several men hire one house and occupy it, dividing it between them, we call it an ‘apartment house’ (συνοικίας), but where one man only dwells, a ‘house’ (οικίας). And if per chance a physician moves into one of these shops (εργαστήρια) on the street, it is called a ‘surgery’. But if he moves out and a smith moves into this same shop, it is called a ‘smithy’; if a fuller, a ‘laundry’; if a carpenter, a ‘carpenter’s shop’; and if a pimp and his harlots, from the trade itself it gets the name of ‘brothel'.” (Aeschines, 1.123-4, cited by Cahill : 2001) Architectural layout, according to ancient Greeks, was not a constrain, because in the end the space would be defined simply based on the way it would be used.
In Olynthus, more than 100 houses were excavated, providing a detailed
documentation on the original designs of houses and blocks. The houses
of the North Hill settlement belonged to the “pastas type” which was quite common in Classical Greece. The houses, as also seen from the plan, were squares with an average width / length of 17.2 meters. In the horizontal axis, the pastas divided the house into two almost equal parts, with the one comprising the north rooms, the bath and the kitchen, and the other the shop, the antron, the anteroom and the courtyard. It is obvious that the functions of the house developed around the pastas and the courtyard, which was usually located in the southern half of the house, due to the Greek climate. According to Xenophon, “Now in houses with a south aspect, the sun’s rays penetrate into the pastades in winter, but in summer the path of the sun is right over our heads and above the roof, so that there is shade. If, then, this is the best arrangement, we should build the side facing south loftier to get the winter sun and the side facing north lower to keep out the cold winds.” (Xenophon, Memorabilia 3.8.9 – 10, cited by Cahill : 2001).


While the new settlement of Olynthus lied on the North Hill, still many people lived in the South. The two settlements were connected, by the new urban plan, through the Agora space, or as Hippodamus had defined it, the open space that could gradually evolve into the Agora. Many public buildings and shops still existed in the South settlement, whereas, later on, there was an expansion of the North one outside the fortification wall, the East Spur Hill. The expansion followed the grid system, but it was rotated 2-3 degrees. Although they continued the system of the blocks consisting of ten houses in two rows of five, there existed open spaces between some of the houses. This area is named ‘the Villa section’ by the archaeologists, as it seems that the house plots were larger than the normal ones in the North Hill plan.


Olynthus flourished during the 5th and 4th century BCE and reached a population of 15.000. It became the most important city in Chalcidice, creating its own League. Olynthus seemed to be a trading center. Two avenues, Avenue A and Avenue B resulted in the Agora space, providing high connectivity to the market even for the non residents. Avenue B also seems to have been an economic artery, since the houses along it had dedicated 1/3 of the space to shops or workshops, giving evidence of household trade and manufacture. This high trading activity could be also justified by the fact that Olynthian coins were found in many places, showing also its power and importance. However, its economic inflorescence and power with the creation of its own League was not pleasant for Philip B (“Φίλιππος Β' ο Μακεδών”, was the Greek king of Macedon from 359 BCE until his assassination in 336 BCE – he was the father of Alexander the Great) and Olynthus requested help. Dimosthenis, a Greek philosopher from Athens, with his speech “Olynthiaki” (Ολυνθιακοί), persuaded the Athenians to send help which, however, arrived too late and the frictions between Olynthians and Philip B resulted in the destruction of Olynthus in 348 BCE. It was never inhabited again.


"Footnotes : 1. Michael E. Smith , Form and Meaning in the Earliest Cities : A new approach to Ancient Urban Planning, Journal of Planning History, Vol.6, No.1, February 2007 3-47, DOI : 10.1177/1538513206293713, 2007 Sage Publications / 2. Isonomia, was firstly mentioned in an ancient Greek skolion and it was later defined by Herodotus. But what could explain better the actual inequalities and how they were balanced with isonomia, would be Pericle's (Athens, 431 – 404 BCE) Funeral Oration, where he stated about democracy, which was founded in Athens, that “We have a constitution [...] And it is called democracy, because administration is in the hands of the many not the few, for everybody in their private disputes are equal before the law, while as to their position in public life each one is preferred for one of the public offices, according to their performance recorded in these, namely one's public career rather depends on the individual merit and not on his social class, neither one, again, who might be poor but has the ability to provide a service to his homeland, is prevented in doing so because he is unknown. We live as free people, and as citizens in public life and as individuals in private one, in our aspirations of everyday life, in which we are not looking at each other with suspicion, we don't get angry with our neighbor when he does whatever he likes, nor do we get dismal, which might not harm the others, but is nevertheless unpleasant. But while in our private life we associate without disturbing each other, in our public life, as citizens, out of respect above all, we do not contravene the laws, we obey the each time several holders of public offices and laws [...]” (“Ἔχουμε δηλαδὴ πολίτευμα, τὸ ὁποῖο δὲν ἀντιγράφει τοὺς νόμους ἄλλων, μᾶλλον δὲ ἐμεῖς οἱ ἴδιοι εἴμαστε ὑπόδειγμα σὲ μερικοὺς παρὰ μιμούμαστε ἄλλους. Καὶ ὀνομάζεται μὲν δημοκρατία, γιατὶ ἡ διοίκηση εἶναι στὰ χέρια τῶν πολλῶν καὶ ὄχι τῶν ὀλίγων, ἔναντι δὲ τῶν νόμων εἶναι ὅλοι ἴσοι στὶς ἰδιωτικές τους διαφορές, ἐνῶ ὡς πρὸς τὴν θέση τους στὸν δημόσιο βίο κάθε ἕνας προτιμᾶται γιὰ ἕνα ἀπὸ τὰ δημόσια ἀξιώματα ἀνάλογα μὲ τὴν ἐπίδοση τὴν ὁποία σημειώνει σὲ αὐτά, δηλαδὴ ἡ δημόσιά του σταδιοδρομία ἐξαρτᾶται μᾶλλον ἀπὸ τὴν ἀτομική του ἀξία καὶ ὄχι ἀπὸ τὴν κοινωνικὴ τάξη, ἀπὸ τὴν ὁποία προέρχεται, οὔτε πάλι ἕνας, ὁ ὁποῖος εἶναι μὲν φτωχὸς ἔχει ὅμως τὴν ἱκανότητα νὰ παράσχει κάποια ὑπηρεσία στὴν πατρίδα του, ἐμποδίζεται σὲ αὐτὸ ἀπὸ τὸ γεγονὸς ὅτι εἶναι ἄγνωστος. Ζοῦμε δὲ σὰν ἐλεύθεροι ἄνθρωποι, καὶ σὰν πολίτες στὸν δημόσιο βίο καὶ σὰν ἄτομα στὸν ἰδιωτικό, στὶς ἐπιδιώξεις μας τῆς καθημερινῆς ζωῆς, κατὰ τὶς ὁποῖες δὲν κοιτᾶμε ὁ ἕνας στὸν ἄλλον μὲ καχυποψία, δὲν θυμώνουμε μὲ τὸν γείτονά μας, ὅταν κάνει ὅ,τι τοῦ ἀρέσει, οὔτε παίρνουμε μία φυσιογνωμία σκυθρωπή, ἡ ὁποία μπορεῖ νὰ μὴν βλάπτει τὸν ἄλλο, πάντως ὅμως εἶναι δυσάρεστη. Ἐνῶ δὲ στὴν ἰδιωτική μας ζωὴ συναναστρεφόμαστε μεταξύ μας χωρὶς νὰ ἐνοχλεῖ ὁ ἕνας τὸν ἄλλον, στὴν δημόσιά μας ζωή, σὰν πολίτες, ἀπὸ σεβασμὸ πρὸ πάντων δὲν παραβαίνουμε τοὺς νόμους, ὑπακοῦμε δὲ στοὺς ἑκάστοτε κατέχοντες τὰ δημόσια ἀξιώματα καὶ στοὺς νόμους, πρὸ περισσότερο σὲ ἐκείνους ἀπὸ τοὺς νόμους, ποὺ ἔχουν θεσπιστεῖ γιὰ ὑποστήριξη τῶν ἀδικούμενων, καὶ σὲ ἄλλους, οἱ ὁποῖοι ἂν καὶ ἄγραφοι, ἡ παράβασή τους φέρνει πανθομολογούμενη ντροπὴ στοὺς παραβάτες.”) Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War – Pericle's Funeral Oration, 2.34 - 2.46"

source: 1. Bryan Wyshnicki (2009), ”Olynthus' Agora : A spatial assessment”, Undergraduate Journal of Anthropology 1:87 – 105. Online available from : http://uja.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/uja/article/viewFile/6451/3439 . (accessed : 25th October 2010)
2. Αθανασίου Φ. & Πρωτοψάλτη Σ., "Αρχαία Όλυνθος: Η αρχαιολογική έρευνα και οι εργασίες αποκατάστασης και ανάδειξης του χώρου" (Athanasiou F. & Protopsalti S. : "Ancient Olynthos: The excavations and the works of rehabilitation and promotion of the site"), online available from: http://www.arxaiologia.gr/assets/media/PDF/migrated/1370.pdf (accessed 13th October 2010) (Athanasiou F. & Protopsalti S. : "Ancient Olynthos: The excavations and the works of rehabilitation and promotion of the site"), online available from: http://www.arxaiologia.gr/assets/media/PDF/migrated/1370.pdf (accessed 13th October 2010)
3. 1. Nicholas Cahill (2001), “Household and City Organization at Olynthus”, New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press. Online available from : http://www.stoa.org/hopper/text.jsp?doc=Stoa:text:2003.01.0003 (accessed : 20th October 2010)
4. 1. Θουκυδίδου, Ιστοριών Β', § 35 – 46, “Περικλέους Επιτάφιος Λόγος”, (Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War – Pericle's Funeral Oration, 2.34 – 2.46). Online available from : http://users.uoa.gr/~nektar/history/1antiquity/pericles_epitafios_logos.htm . (accessed : 25th October 2010)
5. Wikipedia. Vocabulary entry : Olynthus. Accessed : 20th October 2010
6. The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites, Perseus Digital Library, OLYNTHOS Chalkidike, Greece. [online]. Princeton, N.J. Princeton University Press 1976. Online available from : http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0006%3Aalphabetic+letter%3DO%3Aentry+group%3D1%3Aentry%3Dolynthos (accessed : 20th October 2010)
7. 1. C. Zafeiroudis and U. Green (19-07-2010), “The Ancient Greek city of Olynthos : A historical and archaeological guide”. Online available from : http://www.nikiti.dot.gr/arch_hist/olynthos.html. (accessed : 20th October 2010)
8. http://depthome.brooklyn.cuny.edu/classics/dunkle/athnlife/domestic.htm (accessed : 20th October 2010)
9. Michael E. Smith , Form and Meaning in the Earliest Cities : A new approach to Ancient Urban Planning, Journal of Planning History, Vol.6, No.1, February 2007 3-47, DOI : 10.1177/1538513206293713, 2007 Sage Publications (accessed : 20th October 2010)

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