6,000 years ago · approximate date

The first cities

Large settlements grow into the earliest true cities.

In fertile river valleys, villages grew into cities of thousands of people, with shared temples, markets and rulers. Living at that density called for records, and the first accounting marks followed within a few centuries.

Period
Quaternary
Earth's history already passed
99.9999 percent
4.54 kilometres
6 millimetres from the end
One day
23:59:59
One year
December 31, 23:59
Source: Smithsonian Institution · Source to be verified