When did Mesopotamian cities begin forming and what does the name of this civilization mean?

Around 4000 BCE—or 6000 years ago which would make it the first urban civilization in the region. The name “Sumerian civilizations”, Sumer was the southernmost region of ancient Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq and Kuwait) which is generally considered the cradle of civilization because of their many inventions and innovations including the first schools, the early version of the tale of the great flood and other biblical narratives and etc. The name comes from Akkadian, the language of the north of Mesopotamia, and means “land of the civilized kings”.