Ancient cities

Akkad

U
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u
k

Babylon

Uruk

Uruk was one of the first major cities in the history of the world. It reached its peak around 2900 BC when it had an estimated population of nearly 80,000 people making it the largest city in the world. Uruk was located in southern Mesopotamia along the banks of the Euphrates River. It was the center of the Sumerian civilization. It was able to grow so large because of advanced farming and irrigation techniques. The abundance of food made the city rich.

The city of Akkad was the center of the world's first empire, the Akkadian Empire. The people of Akkad conquered many of the Sumerian city-states and took control of Mesopotamia, they conquered the Babylonian society. The Akkadian language took the place of Sumerian and continued to be the primary language of the region of Babylonia . Archeologists are still unclear onto where the city was located. They think it was located in southern Mesopotamia just east of the Tigris river.

Babylon was the capital city and center of the Babylonian Empire. Babylon was the largest city in the world with populations exceeding 200,000 people. It was home to kings such as Hammurabi and Nebuchadnezzar as well as the fabled Hanging Gardens of Babylon which are one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Babylon was found located in ancient Mesopotamia along the banks of the Euphrates River. Today the ruins of the city can be found around 50 miles south of Baghdad, Iraq.

Assur

Located in northern Mesopotamia on the western bank of the river Tigris, Assur became the first capital city of the Assyrian Empire. Assur was always recognized as the religious center of the empire.

The greatest city of the Assyrian Empire was Nineveh. It became the largest city in the world at the height of the Assyrian Empire. The city was largely built under the rule of King Sennacherib around 700 BC. The great walls of Nineveh enclosed an area of 7 square kilometers and had 15 gates. There were 18 canals that brought water to different areas of the city. Great trade and trnsportantion through waterways.

Nineveh