Urban development and social growth in the Classical and Hellenistic city

The recent works made by the Polytechnic of Bari about the Hellenistic cities of Agrigento (Italy), Byllis (Albania), and Kos (Greece) have raised several problems in relation to the study of Hellenistic cities and its urban, economic and social development. The analysis of the architectural structures and their monumentality provides insights into the value of these cities, which are to be considered ceremonial poleis, where community events are monumental like buildings. The protagonists of this development are the Hellenistic kings and the ruling classes that use urban centres such as the theatre for their propaganda. Religious festivals, processions, royal celebrations move in a scene that dialogues between architecture and social action. These events are the means by which cities create their collective memory, organize their myths and cults, and activate a sense of belonging to the polis. What emerges is a new urban model more perceptible than in the past, whose visibility is encoded by well-defined architectural patterns.