Ancient Cities

Linda: What are you reading, Jack? 

 

Jack: I’m reading an article about ancient cities. It’s very interesting. 

 

Linda: Hmm, what does it say? What is the oldest city in the world? 

 

Jack: Well, it’s hard to say, but they say Jericho is the oldest city. About 7,000 years ago, it had about 3,000 people. 

 

Linda: 3,000 people? That’s not a lot.

 

Jack: Well, there weren’t as many people on earth as there are today, Linda. You’re right.

 

Linda: But there were some cities that had more people. For example, about 2,000 years ago, Rome became the most important city in the world. 

 

Jack: Some historians believe that more than 300,000 people lived there at that time. 

 

Linda: Wow! That’s as big as my hometown, Cincinnati.

 

Jack: Is it the largest city in your state?

 

Linda: No, Columbus is the largest city in Ohio. It has a population of about 900,000.

 

Jack: Interesting! Look! The article says Rome’s population was about 1 million at some point in the past.

 

Linda: Now, that’s larger than Cincinnati and Columbus!