Another new town - a different approach

[Chlodowech]

As i just finished my last town drawing, i'm thinking about what to do next - and there's the problem already, i got a lot of motivation and lots of options on what to do, but i just can't make a decision

So i decided to open a thread without a started project or even a subject - instead i'm now doing something like a 'commission the other way round' (and for free ) - if you always wanted to see a town during a period between the 7th and the 16th century, just let me know here and i consider drawing it.

Only condition is that it has to be somewhere between Greenland and Ethiopia - simply for research reasons - and the already mentioned historic timeframe.

PS: There's a second condition. It's gotta be a town which hasn't been depicted in dozens of reconstructions already (like e.g medieval Paris).

[Texas Jake]

Schwäbisch Hall, Germany somewhere between 1400 and 1600.

[Wingshaw]

I'd like to see a map of some Italian hilltown. My personal selection would be Orvieto in Umbria Alternatively, a map of late medieval Copenhagen would be awesome!

Fantastic idea, by the way. I know that whatever you work on will be spectacular!

Wingshaw

[Chlodowech]

Thanks for the proposals - and for liking the idea

So i got three towns to draw now already. Damn, which one should i start with... On the one hand, Orvieto would be something completely different to the last one, while Schwäbisch Gmünd has a pretty similar style to my unnamed town. On the other hand, Schwäbisch Gmünd is such a masterpiece of a town, it has (had) a ton of churches, lots of town walls, 2 monasteries and a castle.

Copenhagen is also interesting, but much harder to reconstruct, since barely anything of the medieval town has survived, and even the road pattern was mostly changed.

So, either i'll find/get a good reason to start with one of them, otherwise i'll start both Schwäbisch Gmünd and Orvieto at the same time

[Falconius]

Somewhere between Ethiopia and Greenland? How about a Mediterranean Town? You know stone, tiled roofs and narrow streets. Although anything in Ethiopia would be interesting since I know very little about it's style/architectural history. I do know they have those super interesting churches and stuff dug into the ground over there (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lalibela).

[MistyBeee]

Strasbourg 7th : never saw that, and it would be amazing !

[Chlodowech]

You like to pick the most hairy ones possible, don't you? In fact, the number and quality of sources about early medieval Strasbourg is rather low and poor - in fact, i haven't even found the most essential thing yet, a plan or even excavation report about the early medieval cathedral. And further than that there were probably a bunch of other churches (Saint Thomas and Saint Étienne certainly existed back then already) of which i know absolutely nothing.

So, i'm sorry about that, but i gotta postpone that mapping project to a point of time where i got sufficient and reliable sources, because otherwise i could just equally well invent my own fantasy early medieval town

About the other themes, i've come to decide on an order: First comes Orvieto, just because it's a change from the last ones and also a rather easy subject, then comes Schwäbisch Gmünd (because it's majestic and very well documented) and at last i'll give Copenhagen a try (here also under the condition that i'll have got enough good sources by then).

So the next post here from my side will be about 14th or 15th century Orvieto...


PS: About the Ethiopia topic - it's also extremely hard to find sources (about Lalibela i know nothing more than the rock-cut churches and survivors of the stone-and-wooden aksumite style are extremely rare - as far as i know, only the 10th century (?) church of the Debre Damo monastery and the 12th century church of Yemrehanna Kristos ), so i either gotta draw a late antique town of the Aksumite Empire (the one at Matara in Eritrea is almost completely excavated) or i gotta postpone this as well to an unknown point of time in the future.

[Chlodowech]

That went faster than I thought it would, but here’s a first rough plan of medieval orvieto showing the outlines of the plateau mountain on which the city was built, major streets and religious buildings.

CB26E97D-A5DA-421A-B7B0-D32EA09736D6.jpeg

In fact i'm considering to draw this on a larger scale, on an A1 or maybe even A0 paper, because like this i could barely apply detail to the churches, let alone the houses - and that would result in a tedious and frustrating work of just drawing outlines of hundreds of houses.

[Falconius]

Exciting! Although I have to agree, judging by the satellite image of Orvieto it looks rather large.

Cool resources for the Ethiopia stuff. The church of the Debre Damo monastery picture is an especially interesting building. I wonder what kind of roof was originally up there?

[MistyBeee]

You like to pick the most hairy ones possible, don't you? In fact, the number and quality of sources about early medieval Strasbourg is rather low and poor - in fact, i haven't even found the most essential thing yet, a plan or even excavation report about the early medieval cathedral. And further than that there were probably a bunch of other churches (Saint Thomas and Saint Étienne certainly existed back then already) of which i know absolutely nothing.

So, i'm sorry about that, but i gotta postpone that mapping project to a point of time where i got sufficient and reliable sources, because otherwise i could just equally well invent my own fantasy early medieval town

Haha, of course I do, every one knows I always do !
However I agree about the sources, which is pretty sad, even if it's precisely why I would like to see this map ^^
The Cathedral area and St Thomas were probably the first populated parts of Strasbourg in the Iron age, and we know there was a celtic temple at the place of the actual Cathedral in the 3rd century. The roman castrum which replaced the celtic settlements changed a lot over time, but we have some interesting elements about it, where we can see a roman sanctuary was built where the actual cathedral is.
But we have absolutely no clue about the first christian churches and the previous cathedral, only some realistic assumptions about the roman one built by Werner circa 1010. But now I'm thinking about it, it could be fun to see a map with an "under construction" cathedral. Strasbourg or any else ! Or any town in the 7th century, since it's still pretty rare ^^
Any way, I'll already be happy to see Orvieto