What were the first states?
From school we learn about the concept of the state. Where did their emergence begin and what were the first states? Let's consider this issue in more detail.
First, let's define the state. A state is a political organization of society that has sovereignty, has its own legal order, for example, a constitution, as well as branches of government: legislative, executive and judicial; characterized by such features as a flag, coat of arms, anthem, symbols, and possibly others, for example, a monetary unit. It is important for a state to be recognized by other states.
What were states like in ancient times?
What were the first states and in what century did they arise? Scientists believe that the first states arose at the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC in Mesopotamia, Egypt and India. Often they did not represent the states that we can observe now in the modern world. Basically, these were small cities or settlements in which ordinary people lived - peasants, carrying out daily work, representing mainly the labor force, as well as leaders who represented power. There was no army as such in these states, but there were warriors who defended the cities from raiders. In such states, power had a hierarchy, the entire society was built according to a hierarchical order.
Theories of the origin of the state
While it is not known exactly why the first states arose, the most popular theories are the so-called patriarchal and social contract theories.
Patriarchal theory
This theory of the origin of the state was supported by philosophers such as Aristotle, Plato, and Confucius. The essence of this theory is that the state arose due to the growth and strengthening of the influence of a particular family or tribe. Since traditionally in various communities a man was considered the head, his power gradually strengthened and, passed on from father to son, turned into the power of the patriarch.
The civilization-states based on a patriarchal system of government included the ancient Indian Aryans. Also, the tribal communities of the Scythians, who occupied the Northern Black Sea region in the 4th century BC, could be classified as a patriarchal state. It is believed that the Scythian state arose on the Dnieper and actively developed there for several centuries; even the capital of Scythian Naples appeared. Of course, countries such as China, Japan and Korea can also be classified as a patriarchal state system. They were always based on the struggle of dynasties for power, while at the head of each dynasty was a leader - the eldest of the men.
Social contract theory
The theory of the social contract, which was actively promoted by the famous political scientist and philosopher Thomas Hobbes, is based on a person’s awareness of the entire danger of his life, that society needs order, laws by which it can live.
Thus, society enters into an agreement on the creation of a state, chooses its leaders or ruling elite, which will have to carry out the popular will, organize the work of people, provide them with protection from enemies, and do everything necessary for the state to develop.
Such states often include Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. As a result, states that arose on the basis of a social contract are credited with much greater development in writing, creativity, agriculture, and sports. It is believed that it was in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome that the concept of “law” arose, social life actively developed and art appeared.
Characteristics of ancient states
Persia
One of the oldest states was Persia. Situated in a mountainous area, it was rich in various natural resources, such as marble and metal. In addition, favorable climate conditions made it possible to engage in farming and cattle breeding. Persia managed to become a very strong country and capture states such as Babylon and Palestine. Her army was the strongest in the east until the 5th century. This state was characterized by developed trade, the presence of currency, and religion was developed in it.
Distinctive features of Persia:
- Powerful army;
- Developed economy;
- Rich natural resources;
- The unshakable power of the patriarch.
Egypt
Egyptian civilization also had good natural resources. Situated on both banks of the Nile, Egypt was able to develop to such a high 
level that to this day the whole world admires the achievements of this civilization. In Egypt, construction, culture, religion, creativity, trade were developed, navigation was actively developing, and, of course, agriculture was developed.
Distinctive features of Egypt:
- A level of craftsmanship in construction previously unheard of;
- Your own monetary unit;
- Developed art and religion;
- Power rested on the priests and the pharaoh.
Sumer
No less developed was the country called Sumer, which was once located along the banks of the Euphrates and Tigris. The territory of this state was located in the south of modern Iraq. The climate on the territory of this state was characterized by relative mildness, which allowed agriculture to develop more than actively. Religion and sacrifice were developed. Also, excavations of ancient cities prove that the Sumerians also developed construction. 
Distinctive features of Sumer:
- Availability of writing;
- Developed art;
- Complex architecture;
- The Sumerians wrote philosophical treatises and various literary works;
- Power rested with the king.
When did the first states appear? How long ago? What kind of states were these?
The world's oldest states arose in two southern countries in the valleys of deep rivers at approximately the same time (5 thousand years ago or slightly earlier):
1. Egypt is a country located on both banks of the Nile from the first cataract in the south to the Mediterranean Sea in the north; Deserts stretch to the west and east of Egypt. The ancient Egyptians called their country Kemet (Black). This is how they distinguished the black fertile land in the Nile Valley from the “red” land, unsuitable for habitation in the desert. The name Egypt was given by the Greeks. Presumably it comes from one of the names of the ancient capital of the country - Khikupta (literally “Fortress of the spirit of Ptah” - the patron god of this city).
2. Sumer is an ancient country located in the Southern Mesopotamia, that is, along the banks of the Euphrates and Tigris in their lower reaches (the south of modern Iraq). The name of the country comes from the name of its oldest population - the Sumerians, known to scientists.
Features of natural conditions
Favorable for farming:
1) many hot sunny days a year;
2) abundance of moisture (the Nile, Euphrates and Tigris rivers never dry out);
3) lands that have two valuable properties: fertility; softness, allowing soil cultivation with tools made of wood, stone, horn, copper (the method of mining and processing iron had not yet been discovered).
Unfavorable for human life:
1) an abundance of swamps and impassable swamps in which people and livestock drowned; clouds of insects - carriers of dangerous diseases;
2) lack of timber (constant need for ornamental timber);
3) shortage of metals: in Egypt, small reserves of gold and copper were contained in the Eastern Desert; in Sumer, metals (as well as building stone) were completely absent;
4) uneven precipitation during the ripening period of grain (Sumer); In Egypt, only in the Nile Delta did it rain regularly; in the rest of the country it did not happen, sometimes for several years.
Features of farming
The basis of the economy in the most ancient states was agriculture. Mandatory irrigation work (artificial irrigation of land) was carried out annually and required the coordinated actions of tens and hundreds of people to build and repair irrigation structures; general management of irrigation was carried out by state authorities. Main irrigation structures:
canals that brought water to places remote from rivers;
barrier embankments (dams) that protected crops from excess moisture during floods;
artificial reservoirs;
Shadufs are water-lifting devices, known since the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. e. (Egypt).
Farmers' work. In each ancient country they had their own characteristics. This is what these works were like in Egypt.
Plowing. The plow was pulled more often by cows than by bulls: calmer cows were easier to control, and draft animals did not require much strength to plow soft soil. After sowing, cattle were driven through the sown field. Cows and sheep trampled the grain into the ground and compacted the soil (if this is not done, the grain will dry out under the scorching rays of the sun).
Harvest. The ripened bread was reaped with wooden sickles, which consisted of a short sickle and a curved cutting part, in which sharp silicon inserts were used as a blade. From 2 thousand BC e. Sickles with bronze blades also began to be used.
Threshing was carried out on a toku - a round compacted platform. The sheaves were threshed by hard-hoofed cattle (donkeys, bulls).
Winnowing. The grain threshed by the cattle was full of chaff and all sorts of debris. Elongated blades were used to throw the grain up - while it was falling down, the wind carried away chaff and debris.
What were the most ancient states?
The ancient states were small in their territory (for example, more than forty of them were formed in the Nile Valley in the second half of 4 thousand BC). The center of each state was a fortified city, where there was a temple to the local patron god and the residence of the ruler. The latter was a military leader and also supervised irrigation work. It is known that in Sumer
It is generally accepted that the first state in human history is Sumer. But this, to put it mildly, is not true. Earlier states are known. The only reason why historical science does not recognize them is that they were created not by Semites, but by our ancestors, the Rus.
And here it is impossible to remain silent about the settlement of the Indo-European Rus in Çatal-Uyuk (otherwise known as Çatal Hüyük).
This archaeological site of paramount importance is located in Asia Minor, in the territory of present-day Turkey, in the central plateau of Anatolia in the valley of the Konya River, 34 kilometers from the dervish city of Konya and 130 kilometers from the Mediterranean coast.
Its heyday is 8 000 (!!) years BC! Sumer is just relaxing.
The settlement of the Indo-European Rus in Catal-Uyuk (don’t be confused by the Turkish name, it is just the modern name of this region of Turkey, we don’t know the real name of this city, because there were no Turks at that time) covers an area of 13 hectares .
Only opened 4 (four!) percent of this area. We don’t know what results the autopsy of at least a third or a quarter of the site gave - it is quite possible that it would have significantly expanded the scope of the existence of the city-state and would have yielded new impressive finds...
City of Rus-Indo-Europeans Chatal-uyuk.
Sanctuaries-temples of Volos-Vola. Cross stamp.
Spiral swastika seals. (Anatolia, Asia Minor).
However, we have to be content with what we have.
The history of the archaeological excavations of Çatal-yuyuk itself is regrettable.
As soon as the scientists who carried out the opening of the site established with complete certainty that they were dealing with one of the most ancient Indo-European (i.e. “Russian”) cultures, funding was immediately stopped.
All work was curtailed, or rather, simply abandoned. Even professional conservation of the excavation was not carried out.
A unique archaeological monument of the planet, which, according to all the rules, should be included in the UNESCO lists and protected with all care, as a cultural heritage of earthly civilization, is in fact slowly being destroyed, exposed to rain and winds - over the most unique excavation there are not even basic canopies, the walls of the sanctuaries are open and defenseless built from raw bricks, slide, collapse, and become overgrown with weeds.
Certain financial circles of the “world community”, who spare no expense in carrying out survey work in the direction they need, have imposed a strict ban on the continuation of excavations in Çatal-yuyuk.
This alone explains the categorical refusal of the Turkish government to issue a license to anyone to continue archaeological work.
The Rus settlement of the Neolithic period, like many other archaeological monuments of the Middle East, is doomed to complete destruction for one reason - it and its finds do not fit into the framework of the “official” historical scheme, according to which the founders of earthly civilization and the first states were the Semitic ethnic groups of the Middle East .
The scientific world of the planet, most of which is well versed in the essence of the matter, silently looks at the monstrous barbarism that is taking place.
And, nevertheless, those true archaeological treasures of the Indo-Europeans that were discovered in the site of Catal-yuyuk can no longer be hidden.
The finds were so sensational that information about them leaked into the scientific press, despite all the taboos and prohibitions.
The world learned about the existence of the highest Indo-European culture in the Middle East many millennia before the first Semites appeared there.
Up to 7 thousand inhabitants lived in Çatal-yuk. And this is only within the city limits. Cattle were not kept in the city; for this purpose, there were large fenced-in corrals outside the city, which were constantly guarded by shepherds and their families who lived there.
The Rus of Chatal were farmers - significant lands surrounded the city. Taking this into account, we can add another two to three thousand people to the population of the settlement.
And how is a city with a population of 10 thousand worse than the city-states of Sumer, which had much fewer inhabitants, and most importantly, much younger ones? Only because it was built not by Semites, but by Russians!
The Indo-European Rus took very good care of their everyday life. Unlike the semi-wild tribes around them, they could afford it.
At the same time, such a layout - house to house - did not allow strangers-robbers to enter the city. The settlement itself was one large fortress, the outer walls of which were the strongest and thickest.
The Rus of Chatal skillfully used bows. At the alarm, thousands of archers climbed onto the roofs, moved to the outermost houses and showered the strangers with a hail of arrows from above.
The settlement was impregnable. And in it, unlike most other Russian settlements in the Middle East, there were no traces of pogroms. The pogrom savages were not allowed inside. The Rus of Chatal skillfully wielded slings and spears.
From the remaining wall paintings depicting coordinated military actions, from the many identified combat arrowheads, spears, stone and clay sling balls, battle axes, and maces, we can judge the high degree of military organization of the Rus of central Anatolia.
The Rus of Chatal had a clear social stratification into leaders-princes, priests-magi, warriors-combatants and farmers. That is, within society there was a “caste” division inherent in Indo-Europeans.
At the same time, each farmer was a warrior of a large squad, a militia. And professional warriors - the prince's inner circle - did not shy away from working on the land (traditions that have survived to our time in the Cossacks - the warrior-farmer).
Warriors, at that time, were thoroughly armed. Under the floors of the dwellings, entire treasures of many obsidian arrowheads, spears, and darts were found.
Obsidian combat knives were not only serious weapons, but also works of art. Their handles were made with special care.
Obsidian was a serious source of income for the Rus of Chatal. Actually, we must clearly imagine - in the period from the 12th to the 2nd millennium BC. all trade, all trade exchanges and everything accompanying them were completely in the hands of the Indo-European Rus.
The Rus were monopolistic pioneers not only in the field of construction, architecture, agriculture and cattle breeding, applied crafts, martial arts, technological innovations, but also in the widest trade.
Vast spaces, lack of transport and road networks were not obstacles for them. The Rus moved, traveled, walked, rode and swam throughout the then Oecumene, throughout the populated world.
And yet, the basis for everything, the basis of the foundations, remained developed and well-established agriculture. Regular harvests made it possible to make substantial reserves for the future, which freed up time needed for all other activities.
The Rus of Chatal were extremely skilled farmers, farmers and sedentary cattle breeders.
22 species of useful plants were cultivated in Çatal-yuyuk. And in houses - for the first time in the history of mankind - pots with decorative house plants and flowers appeared.
But in agriculture the Rus of Catal-Uyuk also had special merits. They were the world's first irrigators - their fields were irrigated by an elaborate system of canals.
For the Neolithic era this was a brilliant achievement. Perhaps no less than the world's first roads of the Rus-Khirokitians.
And, although it is common to say that “civilization began in Sumer” (a hackneyed phrase in textbooks and encyclopedias), in fact and unequivocally civilization began in Jericho and Catal-Uyuk, many millennia before Sumer. And the founders of earthly civilization were the same Russians...
The Rus of Chatal, like all other representatives of Homo sapiens on the planet, have not yet entered the “Bronze Age”. Although, some researchers believe that the founders of metallurgy were the residents of Catal-Uyuk.
On the outskirts of the settlement, dumps of spent copper ores and pieces of slag were found; the workshops had furnaces very suitable for smelting metals.
But exact evidence - blacksmith tools and complex copper or other metal products have not yet been found in Çatal-yuyuk (96% of the site has not been excavated).
The colorful painted reliefs and wall paintings of Chatal amazed the imagination; such a wealth of colors, scenes, and subjects had never been discovered anywhere before this ancient settlement.
The Rus of Catal-Uyuk did not yet have a written language. They did not leave us chronicles or other written sources about their people.
But, based on the totality of the elements of their magical-visual culture, ritual and everyday traditions, archaeological artifacts, anthropological and ethnographic data, we can only attribute them to the Indo-European Rus of the Middle East.
And the silencing of such achievements of the Russians, that is, our ancestors, by official science, only on the basis of their nationality, is a crime, moreover, a typical genocide.
Why are “human rights activists” silent? A rhetorical question...
Roman Kedrov
We know little about the very first state on the planet. But it was precisely this that gave impetus to the development of other civilizations.
Do you know which state was the very first? TravelAsk will tell you about it in detail.
Features of the most ancient states
The ancient states were small in their territory. In the center of the ancient country there was a fortified city with a temple of the local patron god and the residence of the head of state. The ruler was often both a military leader and a manager of irrigation works.
For example, in the Nile Valley in the second half of the 4th millennium BC. e. There were more than forty states. There were constant wars between them for territories.
The very first state
The Sumerian civilization is considered the first state in the world. It arose at the end of the 4th millennium BC. e. The state was located on the banks of the Euphrates, where it flows into the Persian Gulf. This territory was called Mesopotamia, today it is home to Iraq and Syria.
Where they came from on this earth is still a mystery to scientists. And the Sumerian language is also a mystery, since it could not be correlated with any language family. The texts were written in cuneiform, which, in fact, was invented by the Sumerians.
At first, the people cultivated barley and wheat, drained swamps and even made water canals, supplying water to dry areas. Then they began to produce metals, textiles and ceramics. By 3000 BC. e. The Sumerians had the highest culture for their time, with a carefully thought-out religion and a special writing system.
How did the Sumerians live?
The Sumerians built houses away from the banks of the Euphrates. The river often flooded, flooding the surrounding lands, and its lower reaches were swampy, where many malarial mosquitoes bred.
They built their dwellings from clay bricks; they mined clay right there on the river, since the banks of the Euphrates were rich in it. Therefore, clay was the main material: dishes, cuneiform tablets, and even children’s toys were made from it.
One of the main activities of city residents was fishing. People built boats from river reeds, smearing them with resin to prevent leaks. They moved around the ponds in boats.
The ruler of the city simultaneously performed the functions of a priest. He did not have wives or children; it was believed that the wives of rulers were goddesses. In general, the religion of the Sumerians is interesting: they believed that they existed to serve the gods, and the gods could not exist without the Sumerians. Therefore, sacrifices were made to the gods, and temples became the center of government of the state.
The emergence of civilization
Researchers suggest that the main factor in the emergence of the state was the need to cultivate the land and irrigate it through canals, because the climate in this region is desert and arid. Irrigation systems are a fairly complex technology, so they required organized management. This brought the society itself together.
The Sumerians had many cities with their own government and power. The largest of these city-states were Ur, Uruk, Nippur, Kish, Lagash, and Umma. At the head of each of them was a priest, and the population lived by his decree. So, they collected taxes from the people, and in times of famine they distributed food. In general, the inhabitants of the cities did not live very peacefully, periodically fighting among themselves.
Private ownership of land was even introduced in Sumer. Of course, this contributed to the wealth stratification of the population. There were few slaves in the cities, and their labor did not play a significant role in the economy.
A special role in the Sumerian civilization was played by the lugali, the leaders of warriors. Possessing strength and military knowledge, they eventually partially supplanted the power of the priests.
As for military uniforms, the Sumerians had a primitive bow, a spear with a copper tip, a short dagger and a copper cap.
Contribution to further history
Of course, when compared with subsequent states, the economic technologies of the Sumerians were very primitive. However, it was their culture that formed the basis of subsequent civilizations: for example, the Sumerian civilization fell into decline, and in its place another major civilization arose - the Babylonian. The Sumerians were very educated; primitive communities still lived in neighboring territories during this period. They not only invented cuneiform, but also had mathematical knowledge, understood astronomy, and were able to accurately determine the area of land.
At the city temples there were schools in which this knowledge was passed on to subsequent generations. The Sumerians also had their own literature. Thus, the most famous was the epic about Gilgamesh, the king who sought immortality. This is one of the oldest literary monuments. There is a chapter in the epic that tells about a man who saved people from the Flood.
It is believed that this legend formed the basis of the biblical flood.
Decline of the state
Nomadic tribes lived in the neighborhood of Sumer. Some of them - the Akkadians - switched to a sedentary lifestyle, adopting many technologies from the Sumerians. At first, the Sumerians and Akkadians maintained friendly relations, but they also had periods of military strife. During one of these periods, the Akkadian leader Sargon seized power and proclaimed himself king of Sumer and Akkad. This happened in the 24th century BC. e. Over time, the Sumerians assimilated among these peoples, and their culture became the basis for the states that arose in Mesopotamia in the future.
It is generally accepted that the first territorial state was Egypt. It was formed approximately 3 thousand years ago. Egypt became the world's first territorial state with strict borders, organized religion, centralized administration and intensive agriculture. It lasted several thousand years and established standards of government that have not lost their relevance to this day. Along with Egypt, one of the first states was the Sumerians, in the historical region of Southern Mesopotamia (the southern part of modern Iraq). They were a people ethnically, linguistically and culturally alien to the Semitic tribes who settled Northern Mesopotamia at approximately the same time or somewhat later. The Sumerian language, with its bizarre grammar, is not related to any of the surviving languages. Also, do not forget about the first state on the territory of Iran - Elam - arose in 3300 BC. Elam was a federation of several “countries”-principalities, either united under the rule of the dynasty of one of them, or disintegrating again.
The first states include states in India (in the valleys of the Indus and Ganges rivers) and in China (on the banks of the Yellow River). In Europe in the 1st millennium BC, the largest were the ancient Greek states - Athens and Sparta. And in the 8th century BC the city of Rome was founded, which became the center of the Roman state.
The Roman state existed for over a thousand years. Of all the ancient countries, it was the most extensive: it included not only Greece, but also many countries of the East. It was a slave-owning state. Throughout its history, the Roman state waged long and bloody wars to capture slaves and lands. At first Rome was a republic. Later, after slave uprisings arose in different parts of the country, the largest of which was the uprising led by Spartacus, the rich slave owners established a monarchy (translated from Greek, “monarchy” means “unity”). All power in the state began to belong to the emperors, who ruled individually.
Ancient Rome also made an important contribution to human culture. The Romans built magnificent structures: circuses and temples, baths and palaces, bridges and water pipelines. The works of Roman poets, writers, and historians have been translated into the languages of other peoples. Many European languages originated from the Latin language spoken by the Romans: Italian, Spanish, French and others.
Gradually, uprisings of slaves who opposed their masters undermined the Roman state from within. It was also weakened by the onslaught of external enemies. The Roman Empire ceased to exist, destroyed and conquered by peoples who appeared in history about one and a half thousand years ago.
P.S here you can see in chronological order the history of the world and the process of creating a state from the very first to the present day - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymI5Uv5cGU4
To answer the question, we need to decide what we mean by state. There is a classical approach, according to which, in order to recognize a certain socio-territorial entity as a state, it is necessary that it have its own territory, population and sovereignty (that is, power that is supreme relative to any other power in society and independent in relations with similar entities). In addition, the state must have its own administrative apparatus - a system of bodies and/or officials who have authority.
The available historical material allows us to determine that the first formations that meet all the specified requirements appeared and developed in the 4th - 3rd millennium in the interfluve of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (Middle East). The process of their emergence can be illustrated with the help of irrigation and Marxist theories of the emergence of the state. The dry climate of Mesopotamia led to the need for artificial irrigation of the land. The creation of complex irrigation structures required centralized management. Probably, already 5-6 thousand years ago, the local population experienced a high degree of social and property stratification, which led to the emergence of a group of people who were not involved in material production, but performed exclusively managerial functions. This is exactly how a primitive state apparatus arose in the society of the ancient Sumerians.