that a very high majority of the people would be living on farms,

绝大多数人都在农场居住
engaged in farming, feeding themselves,and

在农场从事农业劳动
the rest of the community.

从而保证他们自己和整个社区的生存
Unlike the ancient near eastern cities,

和古代近东的城市不同
these towns do not grow up around a temple or a marketplace,

这些城邦不以庙宇或集市为中心来扩展的
confluence of rivers as they do in medieval Europe.

也不像中世纪的欧洲那样以河流交汇点为中心
No, they grow up like the Athenian does,

它们和雅典的扩展方式类似
right smack in the middle of a plain,

在一个平原的中心扎根
which is a good place for farming,

因为那里适合农业生产
with a great high acropolis available.

然后建起一座高大的卫城
Even the characteristic thing in a polis, the agora,

即使像"市" 就是集市
the marketplace,which

这样城邦的标志性建筑