Excavations at Warka, Ur, Kish, Tello, Fara, and other sites reveal the existence of a Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic culture in southern Mesopotamia during the 4th millennium B.C. It has been divided into four periods: c. 4000 B.C. The Al Ubaid period began
probably shortly before 4000 B.C. and was characterized by a simple agricultural economy and the use of painted pottery with geometric designs. The Uruk period, which followed, saw the first development of monumental architecture, copper, seals, and pictographic
writing.
c. 3200-3000 B.C. The Jemdet Nasr period marked the culmination of the prehistoric culture and led up to the Early Dynastic (Sumerian) period and the beginning of recorded history. A similar progress can be traced in northern Mesopotamia, though the lowest levels at Nineveh, Gawra, and Arpachiyah show a somewhat different culture, marked by the brilliant Tell Halaf pottery.