The 19 greatest cities in history

From 7000 BCE to today, at least 19 cities have led the world in population.

We’ve profiled each of them, taking data and insights primarily from "Why the West Rules — For Now" by Stanford historian and archaeologist Ian Morris.

Cities have, of course, grown vastly bigger over time. Nine thousand years ago, Çatalhöyük led the world with 1,000 people. Today, Tokyo has 38 million.

This trend is a mark of increasing social complexity, and it could be just getting started.

Keep reading to see the greatest cities in history. (Note: This article updates an older list based on other sources.)

SEE ALSO: The top 25 cities for the future

Çatalhöyük led the world with 1,000 people by 7000 BCE.

Located in Turkey, Çatalhöyük is considered by many to be the world’s first city. By 6500 BCE its population of 3,000 was even more impressive.

The city included hundreds of mud-brink homes stacked on two mounds. It was so dense that people walked on the roofs of houses rather than streets.

The city had a rich culture, evidenced by murals, figurines, and ceremonial burial sites. A painting on one wall has been called the world's oldest map and the world's oldest landscape painting.

Çatalhöyük was abandoned around 5700 BCE.

Tell Brak led the world with 4,000 people by 5000 BCE.

Located in Syria, Tell Brak was part of a major trade route, situated on a river crossing between Anatolia, the Levant, and southern Mesopotamia.

The city was also home to the "Eye Temple," named by archaeologists for the discovery of hundreds of idols featuring big eyes.

Uruk took the lead with 40,000 people by 3300 BCE.

Located in Iraq by the Euphrates River, Uruk expanded during a long period of poor harvests, as people were forced to organize to survive.

There is evidence here of rationing, taxation, an increasingly hierarchical society, and an emerging state. Uruk culture came to dominate cities from Syria to Iran.

The legendary king Gilgamesh, memorialized in the early epic, ruled Uruk around the 27th century BCE.

Uruk began losing ground to regional rivals a century or two later.