Who is Hippodamos? (498 – 408 BC).
Who is Hippodamos?
Hippodamus, born in Miletus, lived on the Greek mainland in the 5th century BC, during the classical period of Ancient Greece. His father is Euryphon.
In urban planning, Hippodamus is credited with inventing the “grid pattern, ” in which straight streets intersect each other at right angles. However, today, this information has been proven wrong, as grid-planned cities built long before Hippodamus have been discovered. Although there are earlier examples in Mesopotamia, the first example of a developed grid plan dates back to B.C. It is found in old Izmir (today’s Flag Hill), which was founded in the 8th century.
Hippodamus reorganized Miletus with a grid plan after the Persian destruction in 479 BC. It is thought that he may have designed Piraeus, near Athens (470 BC) and Thurii , Italy (from 443 BC).
What is a Grid Plan?
The type of city plan in which the streets extend at right angles to each other and form a grid is called a grid plan. Rectangular or square-shaped building blocks are formed between the streets, and buildings are built within these boxes. The building blocks are of equal size and the roads are the same width. The islands formed between the streets are called insula.
In his Politics, Aristotle mentions that he planned cities for Hippodamus where 10,000 free male citizens could live. This number reaches a total of 50,000 people, including women, children and slaves.
The Hippodamos plan included a large area in the city center, which would later become the agora. In the insula’s between the streets that cross each other perpendicularly, there are buildings of 240 m2, all facing south, which are houses with an upper floor.
Aristotle also mentions that Hippodamos divided citizens into three classes: soldiers, artisans and husbands. Land is classified as sacred, public and private.
How is an idea born? Who was the first to “invent” this concept?
We cannot talk about a concept called copyright in ancient times. The idea of a concept close to patent law first came from Hippodamos. Hippodamos suggested that society should reward individuals who create things that are beneficial to society.