Science Advances· 2026Q1
The network structure of the urban revolution
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- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
The Uruk Expansion in Mesopotamia (ca. 3900-3000 BCE) saw transportation networks evolve from river-based systems to integrated structures with long-distance shortcuts, reducing reliance on intermediaries and creating 'small world' patterns.
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Key points
- Mesopotamian Uruk Expansion (ca. 3900-3000 BCE) transportation networks evolved over three phases.
- Initial dendritic, river-based system transformed into modular regional clusters.
- Final structure was integrated with selective long-distance shortcuts.
- Network evolution reduced dependence on intermediaries and created 'small world' patterns.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Long-distance interaction has deep prehistoric roots, but the networks that emerged during the Urban Revolution were unprecedented in scale and organization. How early cities sustained this extensive connectivity in the absence of formal markets or centralized states remains a fundamental question. Focusing on the Uruk Expansion in Mesopotamia (ca. 3900 to 3000 BCE), we assemble the largest spatial dataset currently available and reconstruct transportation networks across three successive phases. Using network analysis, we show that an initially dendritic, river-based system evolved into modular regional clusters and ultimately into a more integrated structure linked by selective long-distance shortcuts. This transformation reduced dependence on key intermediaries and generated small world–like patterns combining strong local cohesion with efficient system-wide reach. These results demonstrate that decentralized interaction processes, supported in part by mobile intermediary communities, played a central role in sustaining early urban connectivity.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Science Advances, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Archeology (Arts and Humanities)
ArcheologyArts and Humanities