The First Towns: Seedbeds of Civilization - the Origins of Civilizations

By about 7000 B.C., techniques of agricultural production in the Middle
East had reached a level at which it was possible to support thousands of
people, many of whom were not engaged in agriculture, in densely populated
settlements. Two of the earliest of these settlements were at Jericho in what
is today the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and at Catal Huyuk in present-day
southern Turkey. With populations of about 2000 and from 4000 to 6000 people
respectively, Jericho and Catal Huyuk would be seen today as little more than
large villages or small towns. …