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When and why did the first states appear? Where did the first states appear? Which state appeared first?

April 27, 2014

The first states appeared in the southern regions of our planet, where there were the most favorable natural and geographical conditions for this. They originated in approximately the same period, about five thousand years ago.

What is the reason for the emergence of a new type of social relations

When and why the first states appeared, that is, their origin, is one of the controversial issues in science. According to the version of the famous German philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, the state arises in the process of strengthening social inequality, increasing the role of property and the emergence of a class of wealthy people. They, in turn, need a special apparatus to protect their interests and maintain influence on their fellow tribesmen. Undoubtedly, this phenomenon took place, but not only it contributed to the emergence of the state. There is also a theory according to which a new type of organization of society was the result of the need to control and distribute resources, a kind of supreme manager of economic objects, in order to effectively develop them, this way of organizing the state is most applicable to Ancient Egypt, where the irrigation system was the main economic object.

Criteria for their appearance

When and why did the first states emerge? This is a natural process that took place everywhere, but in different periods. In ancient times, the basis of life for all people was agriculture and cattle breeding. In order for it to develop successfully, appropriate natural and climatic conditions were necessary. Therefore, ancient people settled mainly along the banks of large rivers, which made it possible to fully meet the needs of people in this important resource. The location of the water source was of particular importance: the further south it is located, the warmer the climate and, accordingly, the more favorable opportunities for agriculture. Here you can harvest not once, as in most of the world, but several times a year. This gave the peoples living in these regions an undoubted advantage in developing ways of life support and obtaining a surplus product.

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The oldest regions of state building

Mesopotamia, or Mesopotamia, is a very favorable region for agriculture, a mild, warm climate, an excellent location and the presence of two large rivers in Western Asia - the Tigris and Euphrates - provided the necessary amount of water for the development of an irrigation system and an irrigation method of land use. The people inhabiting these lands were less dependent on the vagaries of the weather than others, so they could get stable and rich harvests. Approximately the same situation developed in the valley of the largest river in Africa - the Nile. But in order to build irrigation and irrigation complexes, it was necessary to organize the collective work of a large number of people, otherwise it was simply impossible to create effective agriculture. So, the first prototypes of state formations originate, and this is where the first states appeared, but these, in fact, were not yet not quite state formations. These were their embryos, from which the most ancient countries of the world subsequently formed.

The vicissitudes of socio-economic and political components in ancient countries

The city-states that arise in these territories begin to control a strictly defined area. Relations between neighbors were always tense and often led to conflicts. Many independent associations hampered the economic development of this region and the stronger rulers were aware of this, so they gradually try to subjugate a large territory to their power, on which they establish uniform orders. It is according to this scheme that two strong and large kingdoms appear in the Nile Valley - Northern, or Upper, Egypt and Southern, or Lower, Egypt. The rulers of both kingdoms had a fairly strong power and army. However, luck smiled at the king of Upper Egypt, in a fierce struggle he defeated his southern rival, and around 3118 he conquered the lower Egyptian kingdom, and Mina becomes the first pharaoh of a united Egypt and the founder of the state, that's when and why the first states appeared.

Egypt - the first state

Now all the fruitful resources of the Nile were concentrated in the hands of one ruler, all the conditions appeared for the development of a unified state system of irrigated agriculture, and now the one who controlled it had significant material resources. The fragmentation that weakened the country was replaced by a strong, united state, and the further development of Egypt perfectly demonstrates all the positive aspects of this process. For many years, this country dominated the entire Middle East region. Another favorable region of the Earth, Mesopotamia, could not overcome the centrifugal forces, the city-states that existed here could not unite under the rule of a single monarch. Therefore, constant conflicts destabilized the political and economic situation, which made it possible for Egypt to get ahead, and soon the Sumerian states fell into the sphere of influence of the Egyptian state, and then other strong states of the region. And it is not possible to say which state appeared first with chronological accuracy, therefore Egypt is considered the first state on the planet.

Theories of the genesis of political formations

The most objective theory on the question of when and why the first states appeared is the one according to which social differentiation has already been formed, a fairly stable social structure of society has appeared, and the state that is formed as a result of these processes and phenomena is only a pattern designed to provide the necessary stability. the entire social system. That's when and why the first states appeared. This path applies to all power relationships in human history. But there are many more reasons for the emergence of the state, it can also be a hostile environment that contributes to the consolidation of society, strengthening the role of the individual, which is the ruler. Borrowings from the surrounding more developed peoples also play an important role. The religious and ideological component also contributes to this, suffice it to recall Mohammed, the founder of the new religion of Islam, and the importance it played in the formation of the Arab Caliphate. Therefore, the first states appeared as a result of a set of conditions, but the main criterion was still the level of economic development.

Summing up

The first states were mainly based on force, power always implies submission. And in the conditions of the ancient world, it was the only way to preserve vast territories, often inhabited by very different and dissimilar tribes. Therefore, many states arose as a kind of organization for fruitful development, but did not interfere in local affairs, requiring only the performance of certain duties and obedience. Often it was of a formal nature, because of this, the first states were extremely unstable.

The first states appeared in the southern regions of our planet, where there were the most favorable natural and geographical conditions for this. They originated in approximately the same period, about five thousand years ago.

What is the reason for the emergence of a new type of social relations

When and why the first states appeared, that is, their origin, is one of the controversial issues in science. According to the version of the famous German philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, the state arises in the process of strengthening the increasing role of property and the emergence of a class of wealthy people. They, in turn, need a special apparatus to protect their interests and maintain influence on their fellow tribesmen. Undoubtedly, this phenomenon took place, but not only it contributed to the emergence of the state. There is also a theory according to which a new type of organization of society was the result of the need to control and distribute resources, a kind of supreme manager of economic objects, in order to effectively develop them, this way of organizing the state is most applicable to Ancient Egypt, where the irrigation system was the main economic object.

Criteria for their appearance

When and why did the first natural process arise, which took place everywhere, but in different periods. In ancient times, the basis of life for all people was agriculture and cattle breeding. In order for it to develop successfully, appropriate natural and climatic conditions were necessary. Therefore, they settled mainly along the banks of large rivers, which made it possible to fully satisfy the needs of people in this important resource. The location of the water source was of particular importance: the further south it is located, the warmer the climate and, accordingly, the more favorable opportunities for agriculture. Here you can harvest not once, as in most of the world, but several times a year. This gave the peoples living in these regions an undoubted advantage in developing ways of life support and obtaining a surplus product.

The oldest regions of state building

Mesopotamia, or Mesopotamia, is a very favorable region for agriculture, a mild, warm climate, an excellent location and the presence of two large rivers in Western Asia - the Tigris and Euphrates - provided the necessary amount of water for the development of an irrigation system and an irrigation method of land use. The people inhabiting these lands were less dependent on the vagaries of the weather than others, so they could get stable and rich harvests. Approximately the same situation developed in the valley of the largest river in Africa - the Nile. But in order to build complexes, it was necessary to organize the collective work of a large number of people, otherwise it was simply impossible to create effective agriculture. So, the first prototypes originate, and this is where the first states appeared, but these, in fact, were not yet not quite state formations. These were their embryos, from which the most ancient countries of the world subsequently formed.

The vicissitudes of socio-economic and political components in ancient countries

The city-states that arise in these territories begin to control a strictly defined area. Relations between neighbors were always tense and often led to conflicts. Many independent associations hampered the economic development of this region and the stronger rulers were aware of this, so they gradually try to subjugate a large territory to their power, on which they establish uniform orders. It is according to this scheme that two strong and large kingdoms appear in the Nile Valley - Northern, or Upper, Egypt and Southern, or Lower, Egypt. The rulers of both kingdoms had a fairly strong power and army. However, luck smiled at the king of Upper Egypt, in a fierce struggle he defeated his southern rival, and around 3118 he conquered the lower Egyptian kingdom, and Mina becomes the first pharaoh of a united Egypt and the founder of the state, that's when and why the first states appeared.

Egypt - the first state

Now all the fruitful resources of the Nile were concentrated in the hands of one ruler, all the conditions appeared for the development of a unified state system of irrigated agriculture, and now the one who controlled it had significant material resources. The fragmentation that weakened the country was replaced by a strong, united state, and the further development of Egypt perfectly demonstrates all the positive aspects of this process. For many years, this country dominated the entire Middle East region. Another favorable region of the Earth, Mesopotamia, could not overcome the centrifugal forces, the city-states that existed here could not unite under the rule of a single monarch. Therefore, constant conflicts destabilized the political and economic situation, which made it possible for Egypt to get ahead, and soon the Sumerian states fell into the sphere of influence of the Egyptian state, and then other strong states of the region. And it is not possible to say which state appeared first with chronological accuracy, therefore Egypt is considered the first state on the planet.

Theories of the genesis of political formations

The most objective theory on the question of when and why the first states appeared is the one according to which a fairly stable social structure of society has already been formed, and the state that is formed as a result of these processes and phenomena is only a pattern designed to ensure the necessary stability of the entire social structure. system. That's when and why the first states appeared. This path applies to all power relationships in human history. But much more, it can be a hostile environment that contributes to the consolidation of society, strengthening the role of the individual, which is the ruler. Borrowings from the surrounding more developed peoples also play an important role. The religious and ideological component also contributes to this, it is enough to recall Muhammad, the founder of the new religion of Islam, and the importance it played in the formation. Therefore, the first states appeared as a result of a set of conditions, but the main criterion was still the level of economic development.

Summing up

The first states were mainly based on force, power always implies submission. And in the conditions of the ancient world, it was the only way to preserve vast territories, often inhabited by very different and dissimilar tribes. Therefore, many states arose as a kind of organization for fruitful development, but did not interfere in local affairs, requiring only the performance of certain duties and obedience. Often it was of a formal nature, because of this, the first states were extremely unstable.

The first states began to appear in Mesopotamia, in Iran, and in the 4th millennium BC. , which reigned before the development of silver and gold, was coming to an end in these territories, but continued to develop in other parts of the planet. However, even today in the remote corners of our world you can find small settlements living in communities of the primitive system.

What caused the emergence of the state? First of all, the main factor was the climate. If a person is engaged in agriculture and cattle breeding in relatively favorable conditions, in a warm climate and with sufficient water, then food products gradually accumulated, which made it possible to engage in other activities, having plenty of food.

With sufficient food supplies, it was already possible to devote oneself to the craft, studying stone and metal things, as well as dishes and jewelry. It was already possible to share their products with neighbors, who in return gave something of their own - food, for example.

The larger the village, the more important self-organization, so almost everywhere there were some kind of leaders. As a rule, these were elderly people with accumulated experience and knowledge of rituals. If any conflicts, strife or quarrels arose, then they went just to the elder, who, at first, had only authority, but no benefit from his position.

But with the increase in numbers, it was necessary not only to manage people, but also to plan. For example, public works were required on the rivers, in the forests. People needed to be set up, to explain the prospect and the benefits of joint efforts. And if everything worked out, then the surplus of the same grain was already in the public domain in the form of a reserve in case of a crop failure or for exchange with communities nearby.

The elders could not combine such a multifaceted and labor-intensive work of organizing collective labor with a personal household, so over time, leaders began to work for the common good, receiving part of the jointly produced products from the stock.

Given the strong family ties between the residents of neighboring villages, some issues had to be resolved jointly. Communities to resolve such issues and chose their representatives of the leaders-priests.

Gradually, first sealed by family ties, and later by neighbors, the settlements are united into urban formations, which will become the first city-states.

The nobility, which led the first prototype states, developed gradually as a class. First, other dwellings appeared, special forms of life and luxury items. Over time, the gap between the leaders and fellow tribesmen increased, but was not significant and fundamental.

The presence of monumental structures spoke of the strength of the first state formations. This could only come about through the efforts of a large number of people organized by work. For example, these are the temples, megaliths and pyramids in ancient Egypt.

According to scientists, the first state formations, which were headed by leaders, existed from the 3rd millennium BC. and up to the early Middle Ages.

STATE- political organization of society with a certain form of government (monarchy, republic). According to the form of government, the state can be unitary or federation.

The development of metals, including not only copper, bronze, but also gold and silver, was one of the signs of the onset of a new era. At the end of IV millennium BC. e. or even a little earlier in Mesopotamia, in the southwest of Iran, and then in Egypt, the first states arise. Here the primitive way of life ends. But it continues to exist in most of the inhabited Earth.

The state arises in different regions at different times. In some territories it was not known until relatively recently. Before the arrival of Europeans, it was not in Australia, in most of America, in many parts of Africa. The primitive, relatively simple way of life was preserved where the influence of states did not penetrate and where special natural conditions did not allow the development of complex forms of social organization. The societies of those regions that were influenced by states already acquired new features in antiquity. What happened in societies at a late stage of primitiveness?

Systematic farming and cattle breeding, especially in favorable natural conditions (warm climate, sufficient water), allowed people to have enough food to accumulate their surplus. These surpluses allowed some people to devote a significant part of their time to the craft - the manufacture of stone and metal things, dishes, fabrics. They gave part of what they made to their neighbors, relatives, and in return they gave food or anything else they needed.

There were also people in the villages who played the role of leaders - older in age, experienced in agricultural work, experts in rituals. Their authority was resorted to when conflicts arose within the village or with neighbors. These people had their own economy and received nothing but authority for their activities for the common good.

But gradually the leadership of society became more and more burdensome. There was a need for labor-intensive public works for small teams. In the valleys of the great rivers, the first irrigation facilities began to be built as early as the 6th millennium BC. e., as it was in Mesopotamia. In other areas, the land had to be cleared of forests. Such work did not provide instantaneous benefits, they had to be planned, and people had to be convinced of the need to work more than usual. Thanks to such additional work, the surplus of grain increased, which was the property of the entire community, a kind of reserve fund. It could be used in case of sudden famine, to help orphans or the infirm. This fund was also used for exchange with neighboring communities, receiving from them what was needed. Since the community was a single collective, it was possible to supply artisans working for the community with food from the same fund.

To manage all this, special people were needed, trusted, honest and experienced, who enjoyed authority. The former leaders had new worries that did not allow them to be as zealous as before to take care of their household. And they began to receive a part of the products produced by all. It was fair, because they worked for the common good.

The people of that time were not as rationalists as we are. Considerations of profit and utility could not force them to work more than is necessary to maintain their existence. Some force - the will of the ancestors or the spirits with which the community connected its life - should have forced them to act as the leaders called. We remember that people did not consider themselves independent of nature, which they pictured as a community of special living beings, spirits. The leaders acted not on their own behalf, but on behalf of these ancestors and spirits. They had to guess the will of these supernatural patrons, be able to perform rituals, i.e. possess the knowledge of the priests.

So, the leadership of the community was carried out on behalf of the ancestors and patron spirits by a person or several people, among whom were people endowed with special abilities to communicate with the supernatural world. They were elected, and their power rested on authority.

Separate settlements were connected with their neighbors by family ties, the need to provide assistance to each other in case of natural disasters or military danger. So, several villages could form a more or less strong association, common issues were resolved by representatives from each of them. None of the villages played a predominant role, even if it was distinguished by the number of inhabitants and a more convenient position on the routes of exchange, or had more fertile land. But already in the second half of the 4th millennium BC. e. in the south of Mesopotamia, more permanent communities were developing, at the head of which, as scientists now think, were representatives of the communities. Among them is the leader-priest. All these public leaders are located at the common sanctuary, where the public repository is also located. The sanctuary is located in one of the settlements, which is central to a whole group of others. Here the inhabitants of neighboring villages bring the products of their labor and from here they get what they need. On the territory of this settlement, festivities take place in honor of the spirits of ancestors and the spirits of nature living in these places. The inhabitants of the villages are mainly connected by ties of kinship, but among them there may be newcomers accepted into the community. Such small villages could be located along the course of one or more interconnected canals. So far, these are not states yet, but soon several such formations will unite not relatives, but neighbors, i.e. based on a territorial, and not a generic principle, will turn into the oldest city-states.

In those areas where agriculture and pastoralism did not provide such significant surpluses of products as in Mesopotamia or Egypt, society developed in other ways. Some communities were the owners of mines and mines in which ore was mined. It was exchanged as a raw material or metal was smelted, and then ingots were exchanged. The need for metal was very great. Suffice it to say that the inhabitants of the Mediterranean in the II-I millennium BC. e. went for tin to the lands of present-day Great Britain. In Mesopotamia, where the first states arose, there was not only metal, but also stone and even good timber. Behind all this, expeditions were equipped to the mountains of Iran and to the west. For stone and metals they gave fabrics, grain and other agricultural products. But these things and products were delivered to members of those communities that developed mineral deposits in different quantities. Here, too, there were leaders who negotiated and made deals. They could appropriate part of the exchanged things. In addition, they received gifts from merchants.

The nobility of the first states did not have models for creating special forms of their life, a special standard that was different from the life of ordinary people. Special forms of life, special dwellings, luxury items appeared gradually. The same leaders with whom merchants from already established states traded could have role models before their eyes. The writings of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus preserved a story about the interest in the life of the Greeks that the Scythian leaders showed.

The Greeks founded many colonies along the Black Sea coast, especially in the Crimea. They were attracted by the grain that the Scythians grew. The Scythian leaders, whom Herodotus calls kings, came to the Greek cities of the coast (some even reached Greece itself), where they not only observed the life of the Greeks, but also sought to participate in it. This provoked protests from fellow tribesmen: one of the leaders, dressed in Greek clothes and attending their feasts, was killed by his relatives for deviating from the customs of his ancestors.

The leaders and nobility of the tribes that came into contact with the states began to differ significantly from their fellow tribesmen. For the Scythian leaders, Greek jewelers made magnificent gold vessels, decorations for weapons, and headdresses for their wives. These items can now be seen in museums. A particularly rich collection is located in the Golden Storeroom of the Hermitage. These things depict not only scenes from Greek myths, but also characters from Scythian legends.

The farmers who created the first states were quite peaceful people. At that time, there were no metal swords, no helmets, no armor. The life of the peoples of Europe in the II-I millennium BC was different. e. Farming and cattle breeding did not provide people with enough food everywhere. Therefore, gathering in the forests and hunting remained of considerable importance. Furs, metals, stone, and then slaves were in demand in the states of the Mediterranean. All this became desirable prey. The robbery of close and distant neighbors was considered quite a worthy occupation to strengthen one's existence, increase prestige and enrichment. To be a warrior, as well as to gain death in battle, was considered honorable among these peoples, for example, among the Germans. The life of warlike leaders is described both in the Greek Iliad and in the epic tales of a later time - the German Nibelungenlied, Irish and Icelandic sagas. One of the signs of the presence of sufficiently strong associations headed by leaders is the existence of large structures, monumental buildings. They could only be created through the efforts of many people. Everyone knows the Egyptian pyramids and huge temples. But much less known are the structures in the coastal regions of Southern and Western Europe, which were created in the III-II millennium BC. e. These so-called megaliths (in Greek "megas" - large, "lithos" - stone) amazed the imagination of people who considered them the creations of giants. Alleys, burial structures, something like temples were made of huge slabs and pillars. Among such structures stands out the famous Stonehenge in England, which is believed to have been built to observe the luminaries. Probably, the dead could be buried in such structures, but other ceremonies also took place in them, probably connected with the veneration of the forces of nature and the luminaries.

Scientists believe that associations led by leaders appeared in Europe in the 3rd millennium BC. e. and existed for a very long time, until the formation of states in the early Middle Ages. Communities based on family ties were not completely destroyed either by the conquests of the Romans or by the invasions of the era of the Great Migration of Nations. Of course, culture, economy and partly social relations have changed. In I millennium BC. e. iron appears and spreads. It is believed that for the first time it began to be smelted in Turkey in the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. e. Iron surpasses copper not only in hardness. Iron ores occur very widely; in Europe, for example, swamp ore was often used. The advent of iron tools dramatically increased their effectiveness. Now it became possible to plow the land with an iron tip, which facilitated the processing of heavy soil areas. The range of tools and weapons made of metal is greatly expanding, the quality of which, however, was not always high enough. Julius Caesar wrote that the swords of the Celts were made of such bad iron that after several blows they were bent and the warrior straightened them with his foot.

The mighty civilization of ancient Egypt was built in just a few centuries, say the results of radiocarbon dating, which for the first time established a firm chronological framework for the described period.

5,000 years ago, Egypt became the world's first territorial state with strict borders, organized religion, centralized administration, and intensive agriculture. He lasted for several thousand years and set standards of public administration that have not lost their relevance to this day.

Archaeologists believed that the Egyptian state emerged from the unification of pastoral communities gradually, but physicist Mike Dee of Oxford University (UK) and his colleagues believe that the transition period took only 600 years.

Palermo stone, thanks to which we know the names of the first kings of ancient Egypt (image Petrie Museum).
The early history of Ancient Egypt is obscure, despite a fairly large number of archaeological finds, including royal tombs, since there is no reliable way to determine the clear time limits of the reign of kings. Radiocarbon dating is a poor helper here, because its error reaches three hundred years.

So Mr. Dee's group took advantage of a statistical computerized approach known as Bayesian modeling. Scientists have compared the radiocarbon dates of almost 200 artifacts, including hair, plants and bones, dating back to certain historical periods in the pre-dynastic era and during the first dynasty of Egypt.

Modern Gumhuriya Masr il-Arabiya does not have equipment for radiocarbon dating, and it is forbidden to export archaeological finds abroad, so the researchers had to limit themselves to what managed to get into museum collections in Europe and North America, as well as seeds recently discovered in Tel es Sakan in the Gaza Strip on the site of an ancient Egyptian outpost.

It turned out that the periods of reign of the kings of the first dynasty roughly correspond to the duration of human life (30-40 years). This suggests that Egypt from the very beginning was ruled by kings, and not by pastoral clans, as some historians believed. With a 68% probability, the first sovereign ("horus"), whose name is reconstructed as Akha, ascended the throne between 3111 and 3045. BC e., and died between 3073 and 3036. BC e. (Necessary note for "wiki-experts": Mr. Dee's group sided with those who consider the first kings, identified by the names Narmer and Aha, to be one person.)

Interestingly, according to new data, the second ruler of the first dynasty (or the third, if Narmer and Aha were different people) Jer held the throne for about fifty years. This is too long a period, and the authors do not exclude the fact that in reality during this period several rulers were in power in turn, whose names we do not know, and that after the death of the unifying king, the state disintegrated for some time, after which it reassembled this same Jer.

Researchers have also shown that the pre-dynastic period began in 3800-3700. BC e. and lasted only 600-700 years, that is, several centuries less than it was thought. During this short time, the country turned from a conglomerate of scattered small pastoral communities that migrated from place to place into a single state.

Progress has especially accelerated, judging by archaeological data, in the last two hundred years of the 4th millennium BC. e. Mr. Dee hopes that his findings will prompt historians to understand the reasons for such dramatic changes.

According to New Scientist