Name a major Mesopotamian city-state known for its early urban culture.

• A. Ur
• B. Uruk
• C. Lagash
• D. Nippur

Answer: (C)

Lagash embodies the shift from village life to organized urban society in ancient Mesopotamia. As a major Sumerian city-state centered at Telloh (Girsu) in southern Mesopotamia, it built a centralized administration with temples at its core, a ruling elite (ensi), and public works that tied together religion, economy, and governance. The city’s monumental temple complexes and organized irrigation show planning and social coordination needed to run a city. Evidence from Lagash includes administrative records on clay tablets, which reveal systematic taxation, tribute, and bureaucratic control—key features of urban life. The Stele of the Vulture, associated with the Lagash ruler Eannatum, also signals centralized power and territorial governance, illustrating how a city-state projected authority over surrounding lands. All of this points to Lagash as a prime example of early urban culture in Mesopotamia.