The world's first cities were more like states or countries--they ruled the land around them and the people who lived there. But how did they get that way? How did a village or settlement become a city? Watch this video to learn how the people of the Fertile Crescent in ancient Mesopotamia built the first cities.
The Fertile Crescent is a plain with rich farmland that lies between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in modern-day Iraq. Archeologists call the region that includes the Fertile Crescent Mesopotamia, which means “the land between two rivers.” Mesopotamia was the site of the first human civilization and the first cities. People who learned to farm the rich soil created food surpluses that supported very large populations. They built villages of mud huts that grew into cities with great temples, palaces, and walls. They invented the wheel, the plow, and the first writing. The first great cities were built by the Sumerians, and Uruk was the capital. It grew into a powerful city-state that dominated the region.
Question
How did farming contribute to the birth of the first civilizations?
