Editing Politics (section)

=== Early states ===
In ancient history, [[Ancient civilizations|civilizations]] did not have definite boundaries as [[Nation state|state]]s have today, and their borders could be more accurately described as [[frontier]]s. [[Sumer#Early Dynastic Period|Early dynastic Sumer]], and [[Ancient Egypt#Early Dynastic Period|early dynastic Egypt]] were the [[first civilization]]s to define their [[border]]s. Moreover, up to the 12th century, many people lived in non-state societies. These range from relatively egalitarian [[Band society|bands]] and [[tribe]]s to complex and highly stratified [[chiefdom]]s.

==== State formation ====
{{main|State formation}}

There are a number of different theories and hypotheses regarding early state formation that seek generalizations to explain why '''[[State (polity)|the state]]''' developed in some places but not others. Other scholars believe that generalizations are unhelpful and that each case of early state formation should be treated on its own.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Spencer |first1=Charles S. |last2=Redmond |first2=Elsa M. |date=15 September 2004 |title=Primary State Formation in Mesoamerica |journal=Annual Review of Anthropology |volume=33 |issue=1 |pages=173–199 |doi=10.1146/annurev.anthro.33.070203.143823 |issn=0084-6570}}</ref>

'''Voluntary theories''' contend that diverse groups of people came together to form states as a result of some shared rational interest.<ref name="Carneiro 733–738">{{harvnb|Carneiro|1970|pp=733–738}}.</ref> The theories largely focus on the development of agriculture, and the population and organizational pressure that followed and resulted in state formation. One of the most prominent theories of early and primary state formation is the ''hydraulic hypothesis'', which contends that the state was a result of the need to build and maintain large-scale irrigation projects.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/originsofstatean0000unse |title=Origins of the state : the anthropology of political evolution |date=1978 |publisher=Philadelphia : Institute for the Study of Human Issues |via=Internet Archive |page=30}}</ref>

'''[[Conflict theories]]''' of state formation regard conflict and dominance of some population over another population as key to the formation of states.<ref name="Carneiro 733–738" /> In contrast with voluntary theories, these arguments believe that people do not voluntarily agree to create a state to maximize benefits, but that states form due to some form of oppression by one group over others. Some theories in turn argue that warfare was critical for state formation.<ref name="Carneiro 733–738" />

==== Ancient history ====
The first states of sorts were those of [[Sumer#Early Dynastic Period|early dynastic Sumer]] and [[Ancient Egypt#Early Dynastic Period|early dynastic Egypt]], which arose from the [[Uruk period]] and [[Predynastic Egypt]] respectively around approximately 3000 BC.<ref name="ancientlocations">{{harvnb|Daniel|2003|p=xiii}}.</ref> Early dynastic Egypt was based around the [[Nile River]] in the north-east of [[Africa]], the kingdom's boundaries being based around the Nile and stretching to areas where [[Oasis|oases]] existed.<ref>{{harvnb|Daniel|2003|pp=9–11}}.</ref> Early dynastic [[Sumer]] was located in southern [[Mesopotamia]], with its borders extending from the [[Persian Gulf]] to parts of the [[Euphrates River|Euphrates]] and [[Tigris River|Tigris]] rivers.<ref name="ancientlocations" />

Egyptians, Romans, and the Greeks were the first people known to have explicitly formulated a political philosophy of the state, and to have rationally analyzed political institutions. Prior to this, states were described and justified in terms of religious myths.<ref>{{harvnb|Nelson|Nelson|2006|p=17}}.</ref>

Several important political innovations of [[classical antiquity]] came from the [[Greek city states|Greek city-states]] (''[[polis]]'') and the [[Ancient Rome|Roman Republic]]. The Greek city-states before the 4th century granted [[Athenian democracy#Citizenship in Athens|citizenship]] rights to their free population; in [[Athens]] these rights [[Athenian democracy|were combined]] with a [[Direct democracy|directly democratic]] form of government that was to have a long afterlife in political thought and history.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kumar |first=Sanjay |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iGc9EAAAQBAJ&dq=The+Greek+city-states+before+the+4th+century+granted+citizenship+rights+to+their+free+population%3B+in+Athens+these+rights+were+combined+with+a+directly+democratic+form+of+government+that+was+to+have+a+long+afterlife+in+political+thought+and+history.&pg=PA53 |title=A Handbook of Political Geography |date=2021 |publisher=K.K. Publications |language=en |access-date=22 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230324145301/https://books.google.com/books?id=iGc9EAAAQBAJ&dq=The+Greek+city-states+before+the+4th+century+granted+citizenship+rights+to+their+free+population%3B+in+Athens+these+rights+were+combined+with+a+directly+democratic+form+of+government+that+was+to+have+a+long+afterlife+in+political+thought+and+history.&pg=PA53 |archive-date=24 March 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>