Early Dynastic Period (Mesopotamia)
City-state 2800 BC 2600 BC 2500 BC 2300 BC
Adab 11,000 ? 13,000 10,000
Akshak ? ? ? ?
Awan ? ? ? ?
Bad-tibira 16,000 ? ? ?
Eridu ? ? ? ?
Hamazi ? ? ? ?
Kish 40,000 ? 25,000 10,000
Larsa ? ? 10,000 ?
Mari ? ? ? ?
Sippar ? ? ? ?
Shuruppak 20,000 ? 17,000 ?
Ur 6,000 ? ? ?
Uruk 80,000 80,000 50,000 ?
Government and economy -- Population
Funeral procession at the Royal Cemetery of Ur ( items and positions in tomb PG 789 ) , circa 2600 BCE ( reconstitution ) . Female statuette , with cup and bracelet , Khafajah , 2650-2550 BCE Uruk , which was one of Sumer 's largest cities , has been estimated to have had a population of 50,000 – 80,000 at its peak . [ 52 ] Given the other cities in Sumer and its large agricultural population , a rough estimate for Sumer 's population might have been somewhere between 800,000 and 1,500,000 . The global human population at this time has been estimated to have been about 27,000,000 . [ 53 ]
The Early Dynastic period (abbreviated ED period or ED) is an archaeological culture in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) that is generally dated to c. 2900-2350 BC and was preceded by the Uruk and Jemdet Nasr periods. It is part of the history of Mesopotamia. It saw the development of writing and the formation of the first cities and states. The ED itself was characterized by the existence of multiple city-states: small states with a relatively simple structure that developed and solidified over time. This development ultimately led to the unification of much of Mesopotamia under the rule of Sargon, the first monarch of the Akkadian Empire. Despite this political fragmentation, the ED city-states shared a relatively homogeneous material culture. Sumerian cities such as Uruk, Ur, Lagash, Umma, and Nippur located in Lower Mesopotamia were very powerful and influential. To the north and west stretched states centered on cities such as Kish, Mari, Nagar, and Ebla. The study of Central and Lower Mesopotamia has long been given priority over neighboring regions. Archaeological sites in Central and Lower Mesopotamia - notably Girsu but also Eshnunna, Khafajah, Ur, and many others - have been excavated since the 1800s. These excavations have yielded cuneiform texts and many other important artifacts. As a result, this area was better known than neighboring regions, but the excavation and publication of the archives of Ebla have changed this perspective by shedding more light on surrounding areas, such as Upper Mesopotamia, western Syria, and southwestern Iran.