Good News Dose: City Planning from 1,800 Years Ago Discovered

Credit: Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities

Often when we are making plans for a building that might be part of a master plan, we get to think about the overall societal impact of development. That frame of thought is why we were so intrigued to see archaeologists were able to uncover a complete Roman City from 1,800 years ago. 

The archaeologists in Egypt excavated a small Roman city in the capital city of Luxor. The city included workshops, homes, and what they described as “pigeon towers.” These towers housed pigeons as livestock and it is absolutely thrilling to realize they are still intact. 

The city dates back to the time when Egypt was actually a Roman imperial province and the days of the pharaohs were over.  

Of course, the builders and designers of that time period created a plan for a city that met the needs of the civilization of the time–-and that included a plan for housing their pigeons. Nearly two thousand years later, we may not consider pigeons to be of much value…but we certainly are always designing for the community who will inhabit our buildings.

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