Practice question · Select all that apply
Why did cities emerge in southern Mesopotamia despite its poverty in materials?
Hints
- The poverty in materials is the driver, not an obstacle.
- Everything not locally available had to be organised and accounted for.
Show the answer
- A. Every stone, timber, and metal had to be imported, forcing long-distance trade
- C. Irrigation demanded coordination beyond a single family
- D. Agricultural surplus required storage, guards, and records
Why
The poverty is the engine. Good soil and water and nothing else means everything must be organized, imported, and accounted for, and Uruk reached perhaps 40,000 people, an object no human had ever seen.
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