R Classica&Christiana _nr7_2_2012_curbe - Facultatea de Istorie ...

DEMOGRAPHIC ASPECTS FROM ULPIA TRAIANA SARMIZEGETUSA
the city, we know the area, we have an estimation of places in the amphitheatre
and we know the layout of the forum. We will use the comparative
method, also but in correlation with the results obtained by
the alternate methods used before.
Analysis of the population at Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa
by perimeter/site area
Well documented studies demonstrate that the way to establish
a formula to obtain an estimative size of the population for ancient
times differs from urban environment to rural ones 14 . So, for Hispania
(and we believe that we can also apply it for Dacia, too) it was established
that for urban areas the formula in use to be:
P = k × A,
were P is population, k is the density of the population and A in the
actual area of the site.
The issue here is the density and the way to obtain a relatively
secure number was to rely on ancient sources as Plinius Secundus, Diodorus
of Sicily etc. For instance Diodorus tells us that Alexandria at
his time was having 300.000 inhabitants and we know from archaeological
excavation that the area was 920 hectares at that time so we
obtain a density of 326 people per hectare for ancient Roman cities,
similarly the figure of 233 inhabitants per hectare for rural areas was
established 15 .
At Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa archaeological researches has
established that initially the area of the town was 24 ha and at some
point the city extended to 32,4 ha. Using the above mentioned formula
we can assert that the population of Ulpia was 10.562 inhabitants at
the middle of the Second Century AD.
Analysis of the population at Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa
by amphitheatre capacity
Using this method at Ulpia is somehow more difficult because
there are more that one estimate of amphitheatre capacity here, a quick
review of estimates just enhanced our problem so P. Kiraly estimated
14 Carreras Monfort 1995-1996, 63.
15 Carreras Monfort 1995-1996, 64-65.
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