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The word city is normally synonymous with traffic, roads, skyscrapers, bright lights and lots of people! But when did the first cities grow? The city of Memphis, Egypt grew to be the world?s largest (at the time) in terms of population, between the years 3100 to 2240 BCE (Before Common Era same as BC) after which the Babylonian city of Akkad claimed the title. After which, cities mainly of Babylonia and Egypt such as Ur, Thebes, Babylon, Nineveh and Alexandria competed with each other till around 300 BCE when for the first time an Indian city took over. Pataliputra or Patna as it is now called became the largest city in 300 BCE followed by Changan of China in 195 BCE. Rome became the largest city in 25 BCE during the reign of Augustus Caesar till around 340 CE (Common Era). In modern times, Beijing was the largest city in 1710 followed by London in 1825, New York in 1825 and Tokyo in 1965.
Some parameters for defining cities and distinguishing them from villages have always existed. During the Mesopotamian civilization, cities grew mostly due to development in writing. Cities like Ur, Uruk, Babylon, Sumer and Akkad were revered because there writing had spread the most. Kings who could read and write proudly proclaimed these achievements in their descriptions. Messages were written on clay tablets with reeds in the Cuneiform script. Sometimes, messengers were sent with these tablets to exchange messages between two kingdoms as well.
In the Indus Valley Civilization, cities like Mohenjodaro and Harappa were better planned than some cities today ! Mohenjodaro especially had two clearly demarcated regions in the city. The larger, ?Lower Town,? where the populace resided and a smaller citadel built on mud platforms which had all the public offices, warehouse and the Great Bath. Almost every house had a well and an attached bathroom. The houses were also linked to an elaborate drainage system laid out in a grid pattern throughout the city.
In the Byzantine Empire, cities were areas which had a clearly defined region with their own court and magistrate. They also had schools and other public offices. Villages could be upgraded to the level of cities as a mark of the Emperor?s favor and vice versa. City-dwellers were considered to be better off than the villagers because they were better provided for during natural crises such as droughts or famines. Also those living in the city enjoyed a greater level of entertainment and spent nearly 180 days a year on?spectacula? which included everything from feasting to watching gladiator fights.
Today, the definition of a city has changed. A city is now assumed to have a steady supply of electricity and potable water. It should also have proper infrastructure which includes roads, residential buildings & office buildings. A city normally also has its own courts, municipal corporation, libraries, press and so on. A city also offers more employment opportunities and better living standards although these sometimes come at a high price. Having to survive in pollution is one such cost of living in a city. But even with the pollution, heavy traffic, congestion and other such drawbacks, people on the whole prefer living in cities to villages. Ask those living in NYC or Boston!
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