Business, analysed data from 957 archaeological sites to examine the significant growth of the networks through which people and goods moved across ancient Mesopotamia during the fourth millennium BC. The study, published in Science Advances , concludes that "the first urban societies were not only the result of the growth of cities or the first states, but also of the development of increasingly extensive and effective connection networks."
For the study, the largest database used to date was used to study connections within the ancient Mesopotamian civilization of Uruk, considered the first urban culture in history. Specifically, the researchers identified three phases in the development of connection networks. Between 3800 and 3600 BC, the network was based primarily on major rivers, formed by long chains of settlements. Between 3600 and 3300 BC, denser and better-connected regional groups emerged thanks to new overland routes. And between 3300 and 3000 BC, these groups evolved into a more integrated and efficient structure, while a small number of long-distance connections also appeared.
"The networks became increasingly efficient, helping to explain why materials, technologies and administrative practices spread across a very wide area of Mesopotamia," the researchers explain. "The main conclusion is that the earliest urban societies did not necessarily depend on a central authority controlling all connections, but that decentralized interaction processes played a crucial role," they add.
