City Centre

Palaces, administrative ministries, markets and traders were at the heart of every ancient city, all jostling for attention alongside great monuments and temples. Here, business was done and civic duties performed, while the masses were entertained and overawed by rituals, sports and spectacles. Although cities were sometimes laid out according to one man's vision, such as Antioch's grid system by the architect Xenarius, most cities developed over time to meet the immediate needs of their people. The results could be predictably messy and very human: with space at premium, new buildings were often constructed on top of older ones, adapting and changing their purpose.