For most of human prehistory there were no cities. From the origin of homo erectus in Africa several hundred thousand years ago until the invention of agriculture perhaps eight to ten thousand years ago bands of people united by blood hunted, fished, and foraged for wild plants in small groups. The lack of a stable food supply, as well as the art of writing and other necessities of civilization prevented the population density from exceeding what the local environment could provide.
Cities emerged in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Greece only with the development of a reliable agricultural technology about 2500 B.C. With the growth of shipping and the use of animals for the transportation of people and goods the original urban centers began to expand and form empires based on their superior military technology, strategy, and wealth.
The first foreigners to conquer the indigenous people in what is now Portugal were the Phoenicians, known for their naval prowess (library.mcmaster.ca). The site of what is now modern Lisbon was an obvious choice for a trading station, due to having one of the largest and most beautiful harbours on the Atlantic coast of Europe, into which the Iberian peninsula's longest river, the Tagus (Rio Tejo in Portuguese) flows. Surrounded by seven hills, this scenic and economically advantageous site hosted a succession of foreign peoples over the centuries, including the Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Barbarians, Visigoths, and Moors.
In 1147 King Alfonso of Portugal expelled the Moors, with the help of Christian Crusaders. During the Age of Discovery (1300 รป 1500) Portuguese sea-faring explorers were the boldest of the Europeans, being the first to circumnavigate the coast of Africa, eventually establishing a vast empire that stretched from India to Africa to the Americas.
As the capital of Portugal this city was built on the prosperity that came from to it from foreign possessions. But like Spain, Portu...