The very first cities were built many thousands of years ago. There are many ways you could define what constitutes "the first city". Could you recommend a good book on the topic of the beginnings of early urban places? Where were they located? When? How was life like?

by florinandrei

I read this article...

https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/which-ancient-city-is-considered-the-oldest-in-the-world

...and I realized cities go back much further than the rise of Sumer and Egypt.

I somehow equated the beginning of "civilization" with the earliest kingdoms in 3000 BC, but now I realize things are more complicated.

I want to read more, but I'm not a historian. Could you recommend a book on these general topics that is accessible to the layperson?

Also, any comments illuminating the topic are very welcome.

Thank you.

Bentresh

I provided some reading recommendations for Mesopotamian cities in What are some good sources to get a reasonably accurate overview of daily life in the early Mesopotamian cities (Uruk, Babylon, Nineveh etc)?

For the site of Çatalhöyük specifically, see The Goddess and the Bull by Michael Balter.

Nadine Moeller's The Archaeology of Urbanism in Ancient Egypt is an excellent overview of early towns and cities in Egypt, though it is a bit dense for a first introduction.