Chapter 2

Urban Origins

There are 5 regions that provide early evidence or urbanization and urban civilization. They include:

• Mesopotamia
  
• Egypt
  
• The Indus Valley
  
• Northern China
  
• Mesoamerica

Mesopotamia

• provides the earliest evidence of urbanization


• 3500BC


• contained about 35,000 people

Egypt

• 31oo BC


• large irrigation projects/agrigultural


• between 2000 and 1400 BC urbanization continued with the founding of capital cities

The Indus Valley

• 35,000 people


• 2500 BC


• Harappan cities were likely the two first planned towns

Northern China

• 1800BC


• 1384 capital city was An'yang


• irrigated agriculture

Mesoamerica

• 500 BC


• between 300-700AD Teotihuacan contained 200,000 people


• Mayan cities date to 100 BC with populations as high as 50,000 people


• Mayan civilizations reached its peak from 300-900AD