How did Sumerian city-states emerge?
Sumerian city-states developed in southern Mesopotamia during the fourth and third millennia BCE.
Historical context and developments
Centers such as Uruk, Ur and Lagash grew through irrigation, temple institutions, trade and farming. Villages and canals around each city formed part of political life. Cities were neither uniformly independent nor always peaceful.
Consequences and interpreting sources
Clay tablets reveal administration and everyday life, although they do not represent all people equally. Sumerian history is best understood through changing cities and their neighbors rather than one uninterrupted state.
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