Urban Origins: Egypt

Egypt became a Unified state in about 3100 B.C. Even this early in civilization large irrigation projects controlled the Nile's waters for agricultural and other uses. Although early urbanization existed in the Nile Valley, only limited archeological evidence has survived from the first towns and cities. The main surviving structures are the stone tombs and temples which were the primary focus of construction. We do not see the rich evidence of Urban development and redevelopment that we see in Mesopotamia, but Urbanization continued with the founding of capital cities such as Thebes and Tanis.