Ruins of the Sumerian city of Uruk, the oldest city in the world.During the Uruk Period (c. 4000 – 2

Ruins of the Sumerian city of Uruk, the oldest city in the world.During the Uruk Period (c. 4000 – 2900 BC), cities began to emergeacross the landscape, with Uruk rising in prominence.  The names ofthese cities come from the earlier Ubaid people, not the Sumerians,which means that they were founded much earlier as villages.The cities expanded, and when they needed more room or resources,they took it from others.  There was ongoing conflict betweencity-states for land and water rights.Sumerian culture developed rapidly during this time.  By 3600 BC, theSumerians had invented writing, the wheel and sailboat, the conceptof the city, and agricultural processes such as irrigation.It was during the Uruk Period that writing evolved from pictograms tocuneiform.  Trade was firmly established with foreign lands, and thiswas probably the main motivator in the development of writing. Accurate, long-distance communication was needed between Sumerianmerchants and their agents abroad.The kingship also arose during this time, and governmental bureaucracy was established.  The Sumerian city-stateswere each ruled by one monarch, a priest-king called the ensi. A council of elders (women and men) assisted him. -- source link
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