Ancient and Modern Cities

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXII, Issue 27, 7 July 1904, Page 6

Ancient and Modern Cities

The latest United States cems'us shows that New Ypirk city has a population of ho less tiiam 3,716,000. This means (says an exchange) that within the bounds of one city live four times 'as many people as the whole of Mew Zealand contains. And yet New York is still a good way behind London as regards population. It wo,uld be interesting to know how the great cities of tjhe ancient world compare, as regards population, with s»nch places as London, New York, Paris, and Berlin How laige, for instance, was ancient Rome ? A writer m ' Black wood's Maga/inc' lcccntly stated: 'After carefully examining all the data we have, all the statements of the various ancient winters who allutie to it, and all the facts which seem to bear on the question, i am convinced that in estimating the number at 4,000,000 lam rather understating thap overstating it. It is mpch more probable that it was larger than that it was smaller. De Quincey also estimates the inhabitants of Rome at 4,000,000. I will only cite one fact anti then leave this question. Tihe Cir.cus MaximXrs was constructed to hold 250,000, or, according to Victor, at a later period, probably 385,000 spectators. Taking the sm/aller number, then, it would be 1 in 16 of all the inhabitants if there were 4,000,000. But as one-half the population was Composed of slaves, who must be struck out of the spectators, when tihe circus was built there would be accommodation then for die in eight of the total population, excluding slaves. Reducing again the number one-half by striking ooit the women, there would be room for one in four. Again striking ofut ttfie old 111* and the sick arid impotent, yon would have accommodation for nearly the whole population. Is it possible to believe that the Romans constructed a circus to hold the- entire population of Rome capable of going tio it ?— for such must have betfn the casie were there only 4,000,000 inhabitants But Suppose there were only 1,000,000 inhabitants, it is plain from the mere figures that it would never have been possible to half fill the uricus '