ABSTRACT
The capitals of the Roman and Inca Empires were centers of intense political and economic activity, and held the largest popUlations of their respective territories. Urbanistically, however, they do not mirror the technical level reached by these peoples. Perhaps none of the great cities of these empires provides a satisfactory urban example since, due to the rapid expansion of these two states and their need to concentrate the greater part of their resources in political and economic consolidation of
conquered territories, existing urban centers were pressed into service as provincial capitals. These were generally a far cry from the type of city either the Romans or the Inca would have built from the ground up.
