On-going collaboration between archaeologists and geographers has given rise to notable advances in the study of cities at intra- and inter-urban levels. This work is based on the transfer of methods and models from geographical sciences to historical sciences, with specific emphasis on the systemic approach.From this theoretical approach, we argue that cities at different times and on different spatial scales resemble systems. Case studies of the city of Tours and of the territories of the ancient city of Nîmes and of the Languedoc (southern France) are used to describe and visualise the spatial organisation of these territories.