As the practice of irrigation became more widespread in Mesopotamia, the region was able to sustain an increase in population and a growing number of cities. An abundance of food allow people to direct their energy towards other pursuits, such as the production of metal tools and weapons, the weaving of linen and wool, and the construction of monumental buildings. The incredibly rich burials of the kings of Ur belong to this period known as the Early Dynastic III.

The use of the war-cart and the pottery wheel can be traced back to this period, as well as the production of tin bronze, although this material remains rare due to the difficulty of sourcing tin. Standardized weights of silver and increasing literacy promote the development of trade. The first account of a battle and the first literary texts come from this period.

Meanwhile in Egypt, major building projects were undertaken, most notably the famous Pyramids of Saqarra and Giza which belong to the Third and Fourth Dynasties.

Throughout the Ancient Near East during the Early Bronze II and III period people are congregating in cities encompassed by a city wall and dominated by an acropolis where the temples of the gods and the palace of the king were located. This period may therefore be summarized as a period of increasing “urbanization.”

The power of Uruk rapidly declined around 3100 BC. With the end of the Uruk Period, there arose numerous cities across Sumer which sometimes cooperated and sometimes vied for control of land and irrigation canals.

If in Mesopotamia power was divided between many independent city states, in Egypt we see the rise of a single powerful superstate that gained control over both Upper and Lower Egypt.

In general, this was a period of increasing urbanization, not just in Mesopotamia and Egypt, but throughout the Ancient Near East. Important cities such as Troy, Ebla and Megiddo arose to prominence during the Early Bronze II and III.

The first half of the 3rd millennium witnessed the construction of the Great Pyramid in Egypt, the incredibly rich tombs of Ur, Troy and Alachahoyuk, and the formation of a flourishing civilization in the Cyclades. In many respects, the technical knowledge attained during this period would never be equaled again.