The ancient Near East is one of the most highly developed of Bronze and Pre-Bronze Age civilization. Regions of the ancient Near East include the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey (Anatolia), Egypt, Iran and Iraq (Mesopotamia). The area is also known as the Middle East.
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The earliest and richest of civilizations appear in Anatolia (north Mesopotamia), Egypt and southern Mesopotamia, with Neolithic cities supporting tens of thousands of people. Technology and engineering such as irrigation and construction of the City of the Dead are among the many feats of this time. The largest cities of the Bronze Age Near East include
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Ur (f. 3800 BCE) - 65,000 inhabitants
As a jewel of the Sumerian Empire, the city of Ur is a major center of communication and commerce in the ancient world. Temples, royal tombs filled with treasure, artifacts, jewelry, weapons, symbols of rank, and other grave sites and living sites, tell a lot about about the structure, beliefs and culture of a civilization.
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An important urban center, Ur has early evidence of writing in its cuneiform tablets. Written forms of language are hallmarks of Bronze Age culture. In the 21st century BCE King Ur-Nammu came to power, and built the famous ziggurat of Ur.
In Sumerian ziggurat is derived from the word meaning "temple whose foundation creates aura". King Ur-Nammu dedicated the temple to the moon god Nanna, patron deity of Ur. Shorelines are marshy and also under Ur-Nammu a canal system provides water and irrigates crops.
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Ziggurat construction finished in the 21st century BC under King Shulgi, who proclaimed himself a god to win allegiance. During his 48-year reign, Ur was the capital controlling most of Mesopotamia.
Evidence of an even earlier occupation, dating back to 6000 BCE, has been found beneath a silt layer consistent with the heavy floods occurring in the region.
Memphis (f. 2925 BCE) - 30,000 inhabitants.
The name may come from the late Ancient Egyptian term for Memphis mjt-rhnt or Road of the Ram-Headed Sphinxes. Memphis is best known for the Pyramids of Giza. Memphis was the capital of Ancient Egypt for more than six consecutive dynasties.
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The pyramids are only part of a large necropolis, of City of the Dead. Other tombs and passageways are still being discovered. The necropolis is on and under a plain 30 km (19 mi) long. It's in the west, to correspond with the setting sun, while the city of the living is in the east.
Under the Sixth Dynasty Memphis was a prosperous center for the worship of Ptah, the god of creation and artworks. A creator god, Ptah is one of the deific trilogy of Memphis, which also include his consort Sekmet and their son Nefertem. Ptah is considered the father of the sage Imhotep.
Memphis is abandoned c. 500 BCE. An alabaster sphinx guarding the Temple of Ptah bespeaks the former power and prestige of the city.
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Babylon (f. 2300 BCE) - 50,000 - 60,000 inhabitants
From 2300 BCE Babylon is a thriving city on the lower Euphrates river in south Mesopotamia, the region now Iraq. Babylon is the center of culture and politics in Akkadian Babylonia. The shining star of Babylon rose twice in antiquity, the first time in the 18th century as the Old Babylonian Empire and again in the 7-6th centuries BCE.
The Akkadian is the first ancient empire in Mesopotamia, succeeding the Sumerian civilization. This empire unites Akkadian and Sumerian speakers and has great influence in Mesopotamia, the Levant, and Anatolia. It boasts a strong military presence.
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King Hammurabi of the Amorites founds Old Babylonian Empire in the 18th century BCE. He grows Babylon into a major city and declares himself King. Babylon is among the most important urban centers until its decline in the 4th century BCE.
Between c. 1770 - c. 1670 BCE Babylon was the biggest city in the world and again c. 612 – c. 320 BCE. It was probably the first city to reach a population over 200,000.
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Old Babylon texts often refer to Shamash the Sun God, a supreme deity, and Marduk his son. Marduk was later elevated and Shamash lowered in status, which may represent the rising political power of Babylon.
Later, Neo-Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II (r. 605 - 562 BCE) built one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. It's said he created them for his wife Queen Amytis, who missed the green hills and valleys of her homeland in the Medes.
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