Early Civilization

via ScienceDaily.

Excavations at ancient site of Hamalkour in modern Syria show the walled city was destroyed around 3500 BC, with evidence of large fires. Large scale semi-industrial areas near the city were discovered that leads archaeologists to believe that obsidian workings there were an impetus toward urbanization, much in the same way the large scale agricultural production and public hydroworks were an impetus toward urbanization in Mesopotamia.

"Hamoukar was on a key trade route that led from Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) across Northern Syria and the river Tigris into Southern Mesopotamia. Some evidence of this long-lasting trade was found in an area to the south of Hamoukar's main site-- a large mound. The team found obsidian fragments in an area of over 700 acres (280 hectares), which they dated to 4,500 -- 4,000 B.C. using pottery fragments found with the obsidian. In addition to tools and blades, the team found large amounts of production debris such as cores, a discovery that is even more significant than finding actual tools.

"Finding cores and other production debris tells us that they are not just using these tools here, they are making them here," Salam al-Kuntar, the Syrian co-director of the expedition, explained. Obsidian does not occur around Hamoukar but had to be brought in from Turkey with the nearest sources being over 70 miles away. "

Specialization and trade allowed for the accumulation of wealth and the development urbanization, allowing the local population to purchase or trade for their food from surrounding communities and exporting their manufactured goods, and building the defensive walls to protect themselves. Interestingly enough, it appears as though the city may have been in the process of converting toward working in copper when it was destroyed, as a large number of copper implements have been found in the excavation.