An Evaluation of Urbanization Phenomenon: Sintashta-Petrovka Case and its Comparison with Inland Western Anatolia

Initiated by Soviet air photography in the Southern Urals during the 1950s and 60s, the investigations were furthered through archaeological excavations in the 1970s and 80s at key settlements, such as Sintashta and Arkaim. Alongside these field studies, the archaeological materials from Novy Kumak burial ground have demonstrated that Sintashta-Petrovka is a different culture, setting it apart from other contemporary cultures. The proceedings submitted to a conference at Dushanbe in 1977 have played a crucial role in enhancing the worldwide visibility of the culture under discussion. Unfortunately, it presents no coherent picture of classification and denomination, like other prehistoric-protohistoric cultures found in the North Black Sea region that were once ruled by the Soviet Union. Although unfavourable circumstances have partly evolved with the advent of studies that removed language and political obstacles through a shared body of literature after 2000, some essential matters remain unaddressed. This paper aims to evaluate Sintashta-Petrovka in the context of the suggestion of speculative Anatolian origin and urban growth and to make some suggestions regarding the urbanization phenomenon by establishing cross-regional comparisons. Among these suggestions is that regions situated on the periphery of agricultural core areas sustained urbanization process through their endogenous conditions, while regular long-distance trade functioned a propelling force rather than an initial requirement.