Towns and buildings described in drawings and words

An introduction to the life of towns and cities in the medieval period, this book shows how medieval towns grew to become important centers of trade and liberty. Beginning with a l...

This chapter investigates the character of the chartered towns in Roman Britain, their mature form in the late second/early third centuries, and the social use of urban space. It e...

The political narrative of late medieval English towns is often reduced to the story of the gradual intensification of oligarchy, in which power was exercised and projected by an e...

Abstract Faith in the Town explores the ways in which religious faith affected the lives of men, women, and children in the increasingly urban and industrialized con...

The most famous monument of the Dutch Golden Age is undoubtedly the Amsterdam Town Hall by architect Jacob van Campen inaugurated in 1655. Today we stand in awe confronted with the...

This article describes the origins of Africa; the ‘First Great Transition’ of human history from foraging to food production; the era of agricultural elaboration; the ‘Second Great...

This chapter is historiographical and conceptual in focus. It explores and critiques the paradigm of urban oligarchy, which has exercised a profound influence upon the history of l...

Urban elites sought the protection and advice of the new men in their dealings with the king and their consolidation of oligarchical power. Most of the new men acted as patrons to ...