Town/urbs/civitas/polis

This week's word is 'town'. 'Polis', where I am in Thessaloniki or (once) 'urbs' or 'civitas' in the ancient Roman market (agora) that is in the middle of town here.

I have been musing on what these ancient words have given the English language: urbane, civilised, polite, politics, policies, police...

The young Greeks I spoke with last night and this morning are expressing shock, powerlessness, and almost (but not quite) despair over Greece's future. This set me thinking about their vibrant cities and what will happen to them. I headed off to the Roman market to think more about the rise and decline of cultures. It is around 2,000 years old, with the ruined Odeon at the end, the ruined baths to the right, a vanished row of shops where I am standing to take the picture, and with modern Thessaloniki all around. The agora was in use for centuries as the administrative centre and the place where citizens and visitors gathered, and I don't suppose it crossed their minds that it would one day look like this. It was abandoned in the 5th century although the shops stayed in use until the 13th century.

Who will one day stand on this spot and look at the ruined apartment blocks and offices, and try to work out why it happened?

(Backblip)