Contextualization

Since its beginnings, human beings have lived in communities, but with the sedentarization during the Neolithic period, there was a need to create more organized spaces compatible with the new lifestyle. This crucial historical moment is known as 'The birth of cities'.

The birth of cities is a complex and multifactorial phenomenon. In addition to issues such as agriculture and animal domestication, other elements such as the invention of writing, political and social structuring, and the construction of infrastructures such as walls, irrigation canals, roads, and temples contributed to the emergence of the first cities of humanity.

Studying these processes helps us understand how ancient cities formed and how this influenced the development of the societies and cultures we know today. Furthermore, it can give us an interesting insight into how urbanization shaped humanity and continues to shape our world today.

Cities play a fundamental role in today's society. And it is precisely this that makes the study of their birth so relevant. By understanding the origins of urbanization, we can perceive the roots of various contemporary issues, such as political and social organization, economy, architecture, and even our personal relationships.

Understanding the emergence of cities also allows us to comprehend the formation of the first civilizations and how human beings learned to live in society, deal with hierarchies, solve common problems, and share space with other people.

To further deepen your knowledge about the birth of cities, I recommend the following resources:

• Book 'Ancient Cities: From the New World to the Old', by Richard Miles, 2013.
• Documentary 'The Emergence of Cities: The History of Urbanism', available on YouTube.
• Website 'History of the World', which has a section dedicated to the emergence of cities (www.historyoftheworld.com).

Practical Activity: Rebuilding the Ancient City

Objective

The objective of this activity is to promote students' understanding of the process of the birth of a city in Antiquity. They will gather in groups of 3 to 5 people and collaboratively create a three-dimensional model of an ancient city.

Project Description

The groups will conduct research to choose an ancient city and understand its specific characteristics and organizations. After the choice, they will plan and build a three-dimensional model of that city, recreating the structures and spaces understood during the research. This model should reflect the group's understanding of the city and its main aspects.

Necessary Materials

1. Stationery materials such as pencils, pens, cardboard, glue, scissors, etc.
2. Internet access for research.
3. Recyclable materials for model construction, such as milk cartons, toilet paper rolls, etc.

Step by Step

1. Form groups of 3 to 5 students.

2. Choose an ancient city to rebuild, such as Rome, Athens, Teotihuacan, etc.

3. Conduct a detailed research on the chosen city. The research should cover aspects such as architecture, social organization, economic activities, etc.

4. Create a draft of the three-dimensional model on paper, writing the names of each structure and why it is important for the city.

5. Use recyclable materials and start building the three-dimensional model of the city, always keeping in mind what you learned during the research.

6. After building the model, each group should prepare a presentation explaining the city's characteristics, the reason for choosing each structure in the model, and its importance in the city's context.

7. Each group presents their work to the class.

8. Finally, the groups should write a brief report on the project. The report should be divided into four sections: Introduction, Development, Conclusions, and Bibliography.

   • Introduction: students should contextualize the theme, its relevance and application in the real world, as well as the project's objective.
   • Development: students should explain the theory of the 'birth of cities', detail the activity, indicate the methodology used, and finally present and discuss the results.
   • Conclusions: students should conclude the work by summarizing its main points, explaining the learnings obtained, and drawing conclusions about the project.
   • Bibliography: students should indicate the sources they relied on to work on the project, such as books, web pages, videos, etc.

The project should be delivered in one week, ensuring enough time for research, creation of the three-dimensional model, preparation of the presentation, and writing of the report.