Excavating the Past: New Towns in the BC Era
By: Terpsichori Latsi

This publication examines the most ancient New Towns known to man. These include many Greek and Egyptian settlements, as well as the Peruvian city of Caral. The oldest of these is Catalhoyuk, a Neolithic and Charcolithic urban settlement that existed between 7500 BCE and 5700 BCE. Nekhen (or Hierakonpolis), is another interesting example. The “City of the jackal-headed souls”, was located in Upper Egypt and remained a religious and political capital during the Pre-dynastic period (3200 – 3100 BCE) and probably the Early Dynastic period (3100 – 2686 BCE). The city was founded around 3800 BCE. The most recent planned city explored in this research is Olynthus, an ancient city in Chalcidice, that (according to mythology), was founded in 432 BCE by Olynthus, the son of Heracles (Hercules). The city was home to about 15,000 inhabitants. The research also includes case studies of Memphis (3000 BCE), El Lahun (1897 BCE), Akhetaten (1353 BCE), Massalia (600 BCE), Halieis (465 BCE) and Priene (1100 BCE).

Nowa Huta Travel Guide
Editors: Saskia Hulskes and Sofia Anapliotis

Largely unknown as a tourist destination, Nowa Huta, Poland is filled with exciting discoveries just waiting to be made. For the intrepid traveler, this Communist New Town is both a blast from the past, and a bustling urban district. Take a driving lesson in a restored Trabant, wander into a Milk Bar straight out of 1950, or hit the dance floor in a new discotheque. Wherever you end up, you’ll find a city teeming with stories from the (anti-)Communist period as well as contemporary culture. For the architecture enthusiast, Nowa Huta is also one of the best examples of preserved Soviet Realism.
This is the first installment in a series of Alternative Travel Guides initiated by the International New Town Institute. We’ve done the research so you can enjoy these undiscovered and unloved New Towns—before the rest of the world finds them!