Explain the role of city-states in Mesopotamia.

City-States were independent states and each state consisted of a city and the area around it. There were a dozen city states in Mesopotamia. The sumerians are regarded as the first society to construct the city itself as a built form. The cities seemed to be well organized and based on a uniform pattern. The city states had a typical organization. Each city was divided into three zones.

1. The Sacred Zone, where the most notable architectural feature was the temple complex called the Ziggurat. It was dedicated to the patron God of the city.
2. The Walled City, where the bulk of the population lived.
3. The Outer Town, where the farmers and artisans lived.

Each city state had its own patron God on whose name a temple was built. Cities were the centers of administration where a number of offices and stores existed. Further, the cities developed as centers of commerce and industry.