Hippodamus of Miletus Quotes
Hippodamus of Miletus was a Greek architect, urban planner, mathematician, and political philosopher of the fifth century BC, traditionally credited with the design of the rectangular grid plan for cities first used at Piraeus, Thurii, and Rhodes. Aristotle's Politics preserves a substantial summary of his political theory, in which the city is divided into three classes of artisans, farmers, and warriors, the territory into three parts of sacred, public, and private land, and the laws into three sorts addressed to outrage, damage, and homicide. The quotes below are attributed to Hippodamus of Miletus, organized by topic.
Hippodamus of Miletus on Justice
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Attributed to Hippodamus of Miletus:
“Laws should be classified by the wrong they address: outrage, damage, and homicide.”
Hippodamus of Miletus on Politics
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Attributed to Hippodamus of Miletus:
“The city ought to be designed as carefully as the human body, with each part in its proper place.”
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Attributed to Hippodamus of Miletus:
“The three classes of citizens are the artisans, the farmers, and the warriors; each requires its own training.”
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Attributed to Hippodamus of Miletus:
“Land should be divided into three parts: sacred, public, and private; without each, the city falters.”
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Attributed to Hippodamus of Miletus:
“He who plans a city must think first as a philosopher, then as an architect.”