Cities have only existed for the last 5,200 years, settlement for the last 12,000, but we shouldn't confuse the two. Let's not forget that until as recently as the 7th century most of Europe consisted essentially of tribes that were constantly at war, it was only in the 17th century that we got a serious sense of greater community beyond our farming villages, and only in the last 50 have we even considered the idea of a "human family" bereft of talk of "little brown brothers" and the like. It's very very true, humanity has been slowly adapting to its own power.