ABSTRACT
Significant archaeological fieldwork in recent years is casting important new light on the rise of pre-industrial cities in many parts of the globe and providing many new insights into their development. Until recently, in fact, some scholars believed that neither the ancient Egyptian nor Maya civilizations had cities at all. Archaeologists are currently expanding their interests in ancient cities from concentrating mainly on urban demography and layout, what has been termed 'population magnitude', to more expansive concerns social process in cities, what has been termed population makeup. Archaeological research strongly supports Kotkin's argument. One aspect of urbanization and commerce that regularly appears in the archaeological record has huge implications for cities today, even amidst the growing global economy. Thus, one of the critical findings of archaeological studies of ancient urban centers is that opportunity is a key aspect of cities through time and space.
