The first cities
Uruk gathers tens of thousands in one place
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Uruk in Sumer may have reached 40,000 inhabitants and is the oldest city in the full sense: with a division of labour, monumental architecture, bureaucracy and a hinterland to feed it. Irrigation in the Euphrates and Tigris valleys produced surplus but required coordination across villages — which itself probably encouraged centralised power. The city also brought what still characterises cities: disease, inequality, specialisation and an unmatched rate of exchange of ideas.
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In Uruk, between two great rivers, tens of thousands of people suddenly lived together. They built temples, canals and a city wall. For the first time people had to live closely with strangers — and that required rules, leaders and a way of keeping order.
Connects to
Part of Terra Saga — the story of Earth on a timeline. terrasaga.org