Cities and Civilization -a Test of Time

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Have you ever thought about what life would be like without cities, or how civilization without cities would impact the life we know today? In the textbook, The West and the World: A History of Civilization-From The Ancient World To 1700, Kevin Reilly (2007) argues that cities are an essential part of civilization because they were the product of modern day agricultural and technological advances seen prior to previous ages. Also he challenges us to explore urban life and the differences in civilizations over time. Finally we will examine what accounts for the similarities and differences in various places and eras throughout societies. In the beginning of early civilization many of the world’s people lived in small village settlements. (44) During this time Neolithic settlements used advance techniques like irrigation, the ox-drawn plow, and the domestication of plants to increase agricultural production, and provided the means to support thousands of people. This time period then turned into the Urban Revolution. During this time frame the invention of new tools, such as plows, sickles, and hoes made farming easier. This was a great achievement not previously seen in other periods of time. Riley contends, “True cities were possible when these advanced Neolithic settlements used their increased agricultural productivity to create specialized artists, metalworkers, architects, writers, accountants, bureaucrats, physicians, and scientist, and to institutionalize their skills and achievements.” (48) The Sumerians were one of the earliest urban societies to emerge in the world, in Southern Mesopotamia more than 5,000 years ago. These great early architects built the city of Ur which exemplified this urbanization to the fullest by building near the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. By choosing this location the Sumerians “built irrigation systems that increased
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