Urbanization is the process by which rural communities grow to form cities, or urban centers, and, by extension, the growth and expansion of those cities. Urbanization began in ancient Mesopotamia in the Uruk Period (4300-3100 BCE) for reasons scholars have not yet agreed on. It is speculated, however, that a particularly prosperous and efficient village attracted the attention of other, less prosperous, tribes who then attached themselves to the successful settlement.
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Definition
Timeline
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6500 BCEJericho is the first major walled city, with a population of about 2,500.
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4500 BCEFirst walled cities. Uruk in Mesopotamia first city.
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4100 BCE - 2900 BCEUruk Period in Mesopotamia. First cities.
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c. 4000 BCEFirst settlement of Ur.
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3400 BCEPriests become the rulers of Mesopotamian cities.
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c. 2800 BCE - c. 1900 BCEThe rise of the great Indian cities of Mohenjo Daro and Harappa.
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c. 1900 BCE - c. 1500 BCEDecline of the Harappan Culture in India.
