A Brief Architectural History of Uruk and the Emergence of the First Cities

Investigating why our ancestors began building architecture and congregating in cities can reveal fundamental insights about human nature. There is no better place to start than with the development of the first cities in ancient Mesopotamia. The city has always been where people congregate, and ideas, innovation, and progress flourish. People come to the city to reinvent and express themselves and test and share their ideas, wherein, simultaneously, culture evolves and civilization progresses. Since their conception, cities have always been nuclei of human advancement.

Early History of Cities and The Development of the Urban Form

How did cities develop? Many of us take our environments for granted without questioning how and why they evolved into the forms we see today. In his book The City in History, Lewis Mumford provides a fascinating account of the history of cities. His interpretation dissects the complex forces that led to their creation. He discusses what forms these forces manifest themselves in throughout human development.