Where did cities first emerge, and what was earliest urban life like?

Early cities developed in a number of regions, from Mesopotamia to Asia to the Americas. The very first cities were founded in Mesopotamia after the Neolithic Revolution, around 7500 BCE. Mesopotamian cities included Eridu, Uruk, and Ur. Early cities also arose in the Indus Valley and ancient China.

The earliest urban life was nowhere near as crowded and unclean as it became in later years. In Mesopotamia, many spent their time not in the fields, but in the creation of other-more specialized - tasks.