08-19-2011, 11:03 AM
It doesn't seem to me the article is saying one way or the other how advanced town planning predated the Romans. It looks to me like they are just explaining that the Britons did so.
We know that there was extensive trade contacts prior to Roman subjugation, so it is no surprise that the Britons could be influenced by Roman urban planning. Of course, Roman urban planning originally came from the East during the 'Orientalising' phase, so we know the transmission happened.
The actual grid lay-out is interesting, though. Could the Britons have planned this town beforehand, perhaps similar to the ancient 'sacred spring' ritual, where a portion of the population of an existing town migrates to found a new town? Or could it have been a disaster of some sort, like a massive fire, and the survivors decided to rebuild their town on a grid?
We know that there was extensive trade contacts prior to Roman subjugation, so it is no surprise that the Britons could be influenced by Roman urban planning. Of course, Roman urban planning originally came from the East during the 'Orientalising' phase, so we know the transmission happened.
The actual grid lay-out is interesting, though. Could the Britons have planned this town beforehand, perhaps similar to the ancient 'sacred spring' ritual, where a portion of the population of an existing town migrates to found a new town? Or could it have been a disaster of some sort, like a massive fire, and the survivors decided to rebuild their town on a grid?
David J. Cord
www.davidcord.com
www.davidcord.com
