Timgad
This site can be found in modern day Algeria. It is around 41 minutes outside of the city of Batna. As you can see from this aerial image, the layout of this ancient site (southern portion of the image) is very precisely arranged in a grid formation. The modern day centre seen to the north looks very organic and haphazard in comparison with the Roman settlement.
Timgad or Thamugadi was established by the Emperor Trajan in 100 CE. The site was constructed to house military veterans and thus the layout mimics a Roman military camp.
Trajan's arch (Arch) is the primary Western portal to this complex. It opens in on the main street running west to east known as the Decumanus. The primary north-south street is called the cardo. The militaristic nature of the settlement is defined by the rectalinear grid pattern centralized by these main arteries which are key in the castrum plan of Roman military camps (Roth 2007:254). The initial layout of the outpost can be seen surrounded by a hashed line in the above image. The additional complexes were later added as the site grew. As you can see in the plan the site is heavily organized and demonstrates Roman power and efficiency.
Pikillacta
This site is found in the Cusco Valley of Peru. As you can see from the above aerial photo the layout of this site is very similar to Timgad. Less is known about the site in comparison to Timgad but they share a very highly structured rectilinear grid pattern design. Where Timgad was designed as a permanent residence for a large population, the site here in Peru seems to have been used only during times of combat. Where Timgad's streets and complexes are well thought out and highly navigable the pattern of Pikillacta's chambers seems labyrinth like to the modern eye. It is a site with immense walls and confusing streetways some of which are usable and others that may have served as false routes or ritual paths. The site is connected to a complex canal/aqueduct system that would have aided in crop production. There is little evidence to suggest this site was used to its full capacity or whether it was simply a military stronghold for wartime use only.
These military complexes are focused around efficiency and extreme organization. They were designed as oases for their respective civilizations. Harnessing the local landscape and asserting the authority of the civilization upon the local inhabitants. Though found continents apart, created by cultures who had no contact, the similarities are astounding.
