The Architecture of Conquest

Hello again fellow bloggers,

This week our blog post is directed towards the investigation of the similarities and differences between 2 archaeological sites: The Roman Colonial centre of Thamugadi and The Wari Military Center Pikillacta.

Timgad:

The Roman Colonial centre of Thamugadi, presently known as Timgad is located on a high plateau north of the Aures mountains in North East Algeria. Trajan, the Roman emperor at the time, founded Timgad in AD 100. The colonial centre is quasi military in appearance and is surrounded by fertile lands. The main structures located on the site is the forum, library, theatre, and an extensive number of public baths.

Figure 1: Kleijen, Tore. Timgad: Roman Ruins. http://looklex.com/algeria/timgad.htm

Timgad illustrates Roman urban planning at its height, the square enclosure and orthogonal designed based on the cardo (main street, hub of economic life) and documanus maximus (secondary main street), with the forum located at the intersection of these two streets. The Timgad square enclosure is a complex grid form, with a total of 144 blocks, divided evenly into four parts. This is an example of the new type of Roman empire development, rather than the unplanned organic layout of the Roman Forum, this is a planned grid. This takes into account changes in elevation, proving the Roman's were innovative in their grand planning. This complex grid system and the permanence of this original design and plan, along with the mimicking of this layout system in present day, demonstrates the skill and innovation of the military engineers of the Roman civilization.

The location of this colony on Numidian soil coupled with its strong and prosperous status, represents power and order in built form. The grandeur of the Roman Empire was truly represented, on foreign soil.This Roman military camp modelled excellent town planning through the representation of civil and military architecture and reflects the important establishment of communication of ideas, technology and traditions of central Rome through the colonization of the area. One technological innovation worth mentioning is the water supply system they established. Stored rainwater and irrigated water was transported to the area. Furthermore, the extensive number of public lavatories they established were connected to this irrigation system. The bench like chairs, with a round hole to sit on, operated through the use of this rainwater. The system allowed for rainwater to run through the channel constructed below, flushing human waste away. This water and sewage system was spectacular. 

PIkillacta:

Pikillacta is an enormous Peruvian set of ruins, belonging to the Wari Empire. It is located in the Lucre Basin of Peru, at the east end of the Valley of Cuzco. The layout of Pikillacta is one of somewhat mystery. 

Located on the site is an enormous rectangle enclosure, with hundreds of separate rooms of differing size and ornamentation. The size and format of Pikillacta, still to this day continues to baffle minds of archaeologists. The size of this settlement was much larger than other of the time period as well as the grid pattern is almost a perfectly engineered rectangle. Pikillacta is known as a military outpost, and this grid system implies concepts of hierarchal order in the area. The military structure of protection and power is reproduced in the tight grid system development. The concept of order is forced upon people through the navigation of this development. The narrow lane ways, and complex layout of these lane ways implies that Wari military and empire would like to control movement. In this sense, by controlling people's navigation through the confusing complex, and the fact that Wari members are the only one's who know the layout well, the hierarchal order is reproduced.

Figure 2: Bauer, John. Snapshot in the Family Album. http://www.flickriver.com/photos/tags/tipon/interesting/

The order and power is also represented in the built form through the engineering of water supply to the area. The area, if it was a thriving city as it is believed to have been, would be in need of a water supply system. It is said that the Wari Empire established hydraulics for water, through use of canals, reservoirs, causeways, and aqueducts. The perplexing element of this is the elevation of 3,250 m above sea level in which the site stands. The innovation of the Wari empire in engineering such a system that would pump water up hill, demonstrates the order and innovation of the empire. 

Figure 3: Going to Machu Picchu Travel Agency. South Valley Circuit. http://goingtomachupicchu.com/tours/south-valley-circuit-en.html

Furthermore, the actual purpose of Pikillacta is unknown but there is much speculation in archaeologists today. McEwan believes the primary purpose was a device used by the Wari empire to control its subjects by controlling the location and context of Wari religious ceremonies. Connecting this theory back to their innovation of water hydraulics, represents the power of the Wari Empire in establishing a colony and religious center, in an area otherwise not fit for habitation during this time period.

The Roman colony of Timgad and Wari Empire colony of Pikillacta evidently demonstrate similarities and differences. One similarity is the size and scale of these two developments. Timgad is of lesser geographical size at 0.2 kilometers square, but the population is known to have been 15,000 people. Pikillacta on the other hand is of grandeur geographical size at  2 square kilometers, but the population is unknown. The ability for these expanding empires to overcome development issues such as water supply and far reaching geographical location and successfully establish large scaling colonies is the key element to their success in conceiving power and order in the built form. Another similarity, as previously described, are the complicated irrigation water and sewage systems in place. The ability for these ancient civilizations to establish hygienic flourishing colonies, further represents order and power of these empires through the built form, on foreign lands.

Thats all for now friends, See you next week!