Which real-life cities are the Free Cities most like?

[Canon Claude]

There's a lot of talk about which regions of Westeros are like which parts of the world etc. but what about the Free Cities?

I feel like that's a much more debatable question, since they seem to be blended together from various aspects of world history. 

Braavos, for example, feels like a mix between Amsterdam and Venice, with an anti-slavery ideology thrown into the mix. Qohor has aspects of Constantinople. That sort of thing.

[Alden Rothack]

3 minutes ago, Canon Claude said:

Braavos, for example, feels like a mix between Amsterdam and Venice, with an anti-slavery ideology thrown into the mix. Qohor has aspects of Constantinople. That sort of thing.

Bravos could definitely be that

the Free cities I think are Egypt

[Lee-Sensei]

The Italian city states. Braavos as an example, is definitely similar to Venice (and to a lesser extent a few other states).

Edited October 6, 2023 by Lee-Sensei

[BlackLightning]

I don't know but Qarth is defintely giving Baghdad, Leng & Yi Ti are Japan and China respectively and Asshai sounds a lot like what western Europeans thought of India

As for the Free Cities, Braavos is very much Venice, Myr is Florence, Volantis is Rome, Lys is Palermo and Pentos is Milan.

[Alester Florent]

Braavos looks a lot like Venice, but its slavery policy is somewhat at odds: Venice was a massive slaving centre.

I see a little of Constantinople in Volantis. But really, the "Italianate" free cities (Pentos, Braavos, Myr, Lys; Tyrosh and Volantis to a slightly lesser extent) are hard to pin down as having any specific overall inspiration from any particular Italian city-state, and each of them just has of mix-and-match features from all across Italy.

Norvos to me feels a bit like Novgorod. Lorath has a Scandinavian vibe, both with its location and with the labyrinths. I don't know about Qohor. Qohor in particular seems more purely fantastical than the others.

[Floki of the Ironborn]

Braavos is a blend of Amsterdam and Venice with a touch of Rhodes.

Myr could arguably be the city of Baghdad before it was destroyed by the Mongols, given that it is an old place of great learning and technological advancement.

Norvos reminds me a bit of Sparta during the Roman Empire; a once-great city in decline, known for an elite group of highly religious warriors. 

Pentos, Volantis, Myr, and Tyrosh all remind me of southern European cities. Maybe some place like Florence? They could also be a mix of Carthage, Tyre, or Antioch. All of those cities were once powerful and part of vast empires, after all.

I agree that Qohor has a touch of Constantinople, given that it's a gateway of sorts to the eastern portion of Essos, but that's a loose connection. If I had to guess, I'd say you could compare it to Pergamum, since they've found evidence of magicians living in that city. Except in this case, Qohor really does have magicians in it.

Lorath is like some old Greek city (the mazemakers could be Minoans, then the warlike Andals showing up are the Mycenaeans or Dorians, etc) except its location is more alike to Copenhagen.

 

[Craving Peaches]

2 hours ago, Floki of the Ironborn said:

Braavos is a blend of Amsterdam and Venice with a touch of Rhodes.

Agree.

As for Myr, I think it could be any number of renaissance city states aside from Venice, Myr is noted for its glass however so perhaps there is also some Venetian influence there as well.

Pentos could be Genoa (as Braavos (Venice's) rival).

Tyrosh could have some influence from Tyre as both have a special dye that only they can produce.

Norvos could be based a bit on Novgorod due to the similarities in name and northerly location near a river, plus the furs people wear. Novgorod also had a special bell that was removed from the city when it was captured: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kolokol_uvoz.jpg

Volantis seems to have a bit of influence from Constantinople, as the second most prominent city after Valyria (Rome) fell, plus its Dragonstone walls being like the Theodosian walls, although Qarth's geography matches better. I also think there is a bit of influence from Ancient Athens, as the state is a 'democracy' with elements of an oligarchy, plus the fact that it is 'decadent' in the way Athens was sometimes viewed at the time. However, the fact that women can be triarchs would conflict with this, so...

Lorath could be influenced by Crete a bit due to the maze and its location on an island.

Qohor seems to have some influence from Kyiv. It is menaced by nomadic peoples, is on an important trade route. I also see some influence from Cherdyn given its location near-ish to Norvos (Novgorod), and forests.

[Takiedevushkikakzvezdy]

This image of Norvos reminds me a bit of the War Phra Kaew temple in Bangkok.

https://awoiaf.westeros.org/images/c/c5/FM_Norvos.png

 

Edited October 7, 2023 by Takiedevushkikakzvezdy

[Frey family reunion]

On 10/7/2023 at 4:10 AM, Craving Peaches said:

Lorath could be influenced by Crete a bit due to the maze and its location on an island.

Also :

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/bolshoi-zayatsky-island

Located in Russia’s White Sea.

ETA: from The Encyclopedia of the Arctic:

Quote

The first appearance of people on the islands dates back to the 5th millennium BP.  Mesolithic sites on Bolshoi Solovetsky and Mukalma Islands belong to that period.  Stone labyrinths, dolmens, and mounds are dated back to the Stone Age (2nd millennium BP).  Major archaeological sites of the Late Stone Age culture have been found on Bolshoi Zayatsky Island.  In the 12th and 13th centuries CE, people from the town of Novgorod visited the islands for hunting fur animals, sea mammals, and fishing.

 

Edited October 9, 2023 by Frey family reunion

[Aebram]

Some of you clearly know a lot more than I about Old World history and geography; it's interesting to read your thoughts. Here are a few of my own musings.

In general, Yes, it seems to me that the George has done a certain amount of mixing and matching in building his world. So it may be hard to find exact matches between the cities and states of his world and ours.

I must disagree with the idea of Volantis representing Rome. It seems clear to me that Valyria has that role, because of its history, and its relationship with everything else that's happening in the world, and also its location on a peninsula, similar to real-life Italy.

I think of Slaver's Bay as "fantasy Egypt," because of the pyramids, the climate, and the slaves.

I think of Volantis as fantasy India, because of the tropical climate, the presence of a river that some hold sacred, and especially the elephants. But of course, the river is named Rhoyne, which is reminiscent of the Rhone and Rhine rivers that run through real-life Europe.

Qarth may have been at least partly inspired by ancient Carthage, which was a major trading port with a circular harbor.

I agree that Yi Ti is fantasy China, but I'm not so sure about Leng being fantasy Japan, which is a country that I've actually studied; I used to speak the language pretty well.  I don't see any similarities, except for the fact that it's an island off the coast of Yi Ti. But Leng's another place about which we know very little, so it's possible.

Edited October 11, 2023 by Aebram