Hilltops, heat, and precipitation

Abstract

Few Roman cities emerged in locations supporting straightforward, planned urban development, and all cities had to deal with the regular, but extreme Mediterranean weather events that could impact on everyday urban life: Roman urbanism developed against a natural background that had a decisive impact on both the spatial functioning of cities and the development of Roman urban architectural language. Height differences, both within cities and between cities and their environment, determined street grids and movement patterns, and limited the space available for public infrastructure and monuments; heat and precipitation could impede people on the move if no protection was available. Assessing the historical development of Roman cities in the Italian peninsula highlights the extent to which such environmental factors dictated both the shape and the use of urban space, and suggests that, from the late Republic onwards, their impact gradually diminished, both through urban planning and through architectural innovation.