Context:

The hosts quote from this 1857 book at the opening, describing Loftus's first European visit to the ruins of Warka/Uruk in Mesopotamia

Context:

Referenced as a book about the invention of the city, with the host quoting Lyke describing Uruk as 'the only really large urban center in the fourth millennium' and later about how temples were built and rebuilt

Context:

Quoted when discussing the early settlement at Jericho around 9,000 BC, describing the reliable winter rains, productive harvests, and abundant wild game

Context:

Described as a 'brilliant book' about cities, quoted extensively when discussing the sacred shrine at Eridu around 5,400 BC and later regarding the first named person in history (Cushim the accountant)

Context:

Referenced multiple times discussing the decisive shift in urbanization toward southern Mesopotamia, comparisons to Chicago's development, and the domestication of humans by urban institutions