The Urban Revolution

The First SettlementsMostly for agriculture; administrative, commercial, and

manufacturing cities would develop laterJericho

Sometimes considered the world’s oldest city or permanent settlement (Though with the discovery of Gobekli Tepe, this is now debatable)

First permanent settlement between 10 000 and 9000 BCE; by 9400 BCE 70 dwellings

Settlement based on agriculture, cultivation and domestication of local grains

No art or pottery found in early parts of the siteHas always been the model for the formation of/rise of

cities.

Gobekli Tepe Dates from the same period as Jericho, and casts

doubt on it as the “first settlement”Stone structure dates to around 9100 BCE, but

settlement existed prior to thatOne of the first permanent settlementsBelieved to have a religious purpose – was a

religious sanctuary, and a permanent settlement formed around it

First site of domestication of wheat?Local grains were cultivated and farmed Contained large-scale sculpture and artistic

products

The Ten Point ModelIn 1950, Gordon Childe, an Australian

archaeologist, established criteria for the major changes that occur with urbanizationLarge populations and settlementsFull-time specialization and advanced division

of labourProduction of agricultural surplus to fund

government and differentiated societyMonumental public architectureA ruling class

The development of writingExact predictive sciences, such as arithmetic,

geometry, astronomy, and calendarsSophisticated art stylesLong-distance tradeThe State

While this model is somewhat ethnocentric and overly simplistic, it does address the key details in the major social transformation that accompanies urbanization.

LocationThe most powerful early cultures came from

cities and regions with certain shared featuresRiver valleys – Tigris/Euphrates, Nile, Indus,

YellowTemperate climateEasily domesticable plant/animal speciesSettlement allowed for technological advances,

such as metallurgy and weaponry