There is a numerous evidence of settlements prior to 6,000 BP, especially in the Middle East where civilizations were first presumed to have originated with the advance of agriculture. Here are just a few examples:

- Neve David (Israel) - 13 kya

- Gobekli Tepe (Turkey) - 11 Kya

- Abu Hureyra (Levant) - 11 kya

- Ain Ghazal (Jordan) - 7.5 kya

- Catalhoyuk (Turkey) - 7.5 kya

All of these were examples of early states. They were characterized as having centralized political institutions in which ruling elites exercised control over the population that may have numbered to several thousand individuals.