Template Formation of Cities 3200 BC Agricultural villages and cities lie on two poles of a continuum. In the ideal agricultural village, all of the inhabitants engage in agriculture as their primary occupation. In a city, there is considerable specialization and few, if any, have agriculture as their primary occupation. Cities, unlike villages, are not just places of residence.
Cities are also administrative centers, religious centers and centers of trade.
There are several theories concerning how villages become towns and towns become cities. One of these theories sees the origin of cities primarily as commercial centers. As villages developed surpluses, individuals within those villages would be able to reduce the amount of time they spent farming and could devote more of their time to more specialized activities. The development of those specialized activities created the opportunity to trade with people in other villages. The town with perhaps the best crafts or with the easiest access or with the greatest security might become the center for the local craft.