The Architecture of Conquest: Thamugadi to Pikillacta

As previously discussed in last week’s post about Ancient Rome, architecture has the ability to express ideas of authority and power. This can, in turn, function as a means to control the behavior of both residents and visitors of a particular space. This week, I will examine two architectural sites in a discussion of the architecture of conquest.

Thamugadi (located in Timgad, Algeria; dated100 CE) was an ancient Roman city. Founded by the Emporer Trajan, it began as a military colony to serve as a guard against invaders in the nearby Aures Mountains. Thamugadi began as a perfectly square city, planned to accommodate 15, 000 residents in total. However, in it’s first 300 years the city nearly quadrupled in size, leading to extensions of the outer borders.

Thamugadi
Source: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showth
read.php?t=835906

The location of Thamugadi is of high importance; it sits on a high plateau north of the Aures Mountains on a crucial junction allowing the Romans to control a main mountain pass, providing access to and from the Sahara. In addition to location, structural components of the city make it an interesting military case study. Thamugadi is an exceptional example of Roman “grid structuring” in city planning. Unlike the Ancient Roman Forum, Thamugadi manipulates its landscape to create a “grid designed” city (streets intersection at right angles, etc). This type of city planning allowed for better control of traffic through the city. It also represents a very socialized and structured space in which a social hierarchy determines where one might live (the most wealthy and powerful would live in the middle of the city while the less fortunate lived on the outskirts).

Trajan's Arch in Thamugadi
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/44022
144@N05/4294968266/

Extensions to the original city plan meant sacrificing the fortification of the city’s outermost walls; however, even on appearance alone Thamugadi was very intimidating. High walls suggested a military presence, while Trajan’s arch (typical of Roman architecture) sat at the entry to the complex and boasted authority.

Thamugadi’s grid like structure is echoed in Pikillacta (located in Peru). Presumably another military outpost (very little is known about Pikillacta), many architectural techniques are used to support the likely function of the site. High, fortified walls (up to 4 meters thick) suggest the need for defense, while narrow alleyways (between the high walls) must have been highly imposing and intimidating to those walking through. The ideology of Pikillacta is very transparent (in the sense that everyone should know their role within the structure). Like Thamugadi, a sort of social hierarchy would have played out within Pikillacta, which would have facilitated engagements between the Wari people. Unlike Thamugadi, Pikillacta was not designed for comfortable living; it would likely have ben used strictly for military purposes (the rough textured stonework further supports this).

Pikillacta
Source: http://goingtomachupicchu.com/tours/south
-valley-circuit-en.html

Little is known of Pikillacta due to its lack of written records. However, through a comparison to Thamugadi, the purpose of the site can be theorized through examination of the remaining ruins. This week, I have learned more about how architecture can influence behavior in different contexts as well as how “city planning” can add considerable military strength and intimidation to a site.

Cusco Online. “The Pikillacta Ruins.” Accessed January 29, 2013. http://www.cuscoonline.com/english/cuscossurroundings/cusco050.shtml

Encyclopedia Britannica. “Thamugadi.” Accessed January 28, 2013. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/589953/Thamugadi

Lonely Planet. “Timgad.” Accessed January 28, 2013. http://www.lonelyplanet.com/algeria/timgad/sights/archaeological-site/timgad

Roth, Leland M. Understanding Architecture: Its Elements, History, and Meaning. Colorado: Westview Press, 2007.