original_query: What is the Uruk period and when did it exist?
query: What is the Uruk period and when did it exist?
answer: The Uruk period (ca. 4000 to 3100 BC), also known as the Protoliterate period, was a significant period in Mesopotamian history, spanning from the Chalcolithic to the Early Bronze Age. It's named after the Sumerian city of Uruk and marks the emergence of urban life and Sumerian civilization.