This document discusses the origins and requirements for ancient cities. It notes that early cities like Uruk in Mesopotamia arose around 4000-3100 BCE due to developments in agriculture and trade that allowed for concentrated populations. Key requirements included stable food production and supply, jobs, services, social organization and defense. Cities provided benefits like security, artisan production, technological advances, trade, and the development of writing and formal religion. The document then highlights several important aspects of early Mesopotamian civilizations like the invention of writing in Sumeria and important figures and texts like the Epic of Gilgamesh.

1. Ci#es:
Who
needs
‘em?
• What
are
some
of
the
advantages
of
living
in
a
city?
Disadvantages?
• Why
do
you
think
ci#es
came
into
existence
in
the
first
place?
• What
condi#ons
would
be
needed
in
order
for
a
city
to
come
into
existence?

2. Ancient
Ci#es

5. Some
requirements:
• Enough
food
for
a
concentra#on
of
popula#on
(who
don’t
raise
their
own
food):
agriculture
and
livestock
• Services
provided
for
residents:
security,
religious
prac#ce,
etc.
• Jobs
• Supplies
of
needed
items:
salt,
cloth,
luxury
goods,
food
• Social
organiza#on/government

6. Benefits
of
ci#es
in
ancient
#mes:
• Security
in
numbers
• More
ar#s#c
produc#on
• Technological
development
• Trade
• WriPen
language
• Development
of
formalized
religion
• Defensible
loca#on

7. First
city:
Uruk
Ca.
4000
–
3100
BCE

8. Anu
Ziggarut,
Uruk

9. Computer-­‐generated
view
of
Uruk
hPp://www.dlr.de/eoc/en/desktopdefault.aspx/
tabid-­‐8297/14218_read-­‐37947/

10. Inven#on
of
the
wheel
ca.
4000
BCE
• PoPer’s
Wheel
• In
Sumeria

11. First
wheeled
vehicle
ca.
3500
BCE

12. Proto-­‐Cuneiform
tablet,
ca.
3100
BC
Documents
grain
distribu#on

13. Ca.
1920
BCE
Assyrian
tablet
detailing
court
tes#mony
regarding
the
ownership
dispute
of
a
business
enterprise.

14. Enheduanna
of
Ur

15. Epic
of
Gilgamesh,
Sumerian
king
The
“Deluge”
Tablet,
Ca.
700
BC

16. Sumerian
vo#ve
figures,
ca.
2600
BCE

17. Assyrian
Empire:
ca.
2000
BC
–
612
BC

18. hPps://www.khanacademy.org/
humani#es/ancient-­‐art-­‐civiliza#ons/
ancient-­‐near-­‐east1/assyrian/v/
ashurbanipal-­‐hun#ng-­‐lions-­‐assyrian
• Ashurbanipal
hun#ng
lions
–
large
stone
relief
from
palace
in
Nineveh,
ca.
670
BC
–
now
in
Bri#sh
Museum,
London

19. Babylonian
Empire,
ca.
2000
–
539
BCE
Depic#ons
of
Ishtar

20. Stele
of
the
Code
of
Hammurabi,
Louvre

21. Wall
relief
of
Gate
of
Ishtar,
constructed
under
rule
of
Nebuchadnezzar

22. Reconstruc#on
of
Gate
of
Ishtar