This chapter explores the archaeological and literary evidence for marketplaces and urban forms connected to the manufacturing of bricks and metalworking in the capital cities of the contemporary empires of Rome and Han China (ca. 200 BC-200 AD). The comparative analysis of the physical aspects of these urban structures and the following discussion of the impact of the political, practical, ideological and economic circumstances of the two empires on the distribution and features of the architecture and industries presented, will highlight the extent to which the urban architecture of the capitals was involved in the social and political processes that characterized the production of space in ancient cities.