In the article, “Theories of State Formation”, Kohler discusses how archaeologists have long been trying to understand how Egypt became a unified state and trying to find evidence showing their transition from hunter-gatherers to the state system they are known to have had and the importance that this understanding has in how were think about ancient Egypt. Kohler mainly talks about the key factors that prove a state has formed include the existence of an economy, administration and bureaucracy, a social structure, kingship, and a state ideology.
One of the most important aspects of a state system is a successful economy. Being based along the Nile, ancient Egyptians are shown to have developed a subsistence system, relying strongly on the river, as well as agriculture and animal husbandry. This allowed for population growth and made it possible for families to meet their needs and have a surplus of goods for emergencies as well as establish trade routes. With access to resources becoming easier and demands becoming higher, these trade routes which helped establish commerce and made it possible to import and export goods.
Another signification aspect of state formation is the presence of a bureaucracy and an administration, which reflects the existence of government organization and shows the complexity of the economy and society. Evidence of bureaucracy and admiration relies specifically on the discoveries of written records and hieroglyphic writing seems to have developed primarily as a means of administrative control. This also adds to evidence of an easier access to goods as well as displays of production, packaging, and storage under the control of a person and institution, implying a systematic organization of business.
Another key aspect of a state system is the organization and complexity of a society. These is evidence of social structure and inequality found in mortuary data, for example, 8% of the population showed more indications of wealth than the rest of the population. This is also shown by the existence of a hierarchy with the Pharaoh on top, followed by high ranking officials, a middle class, and a lower class. The society present in ancient Egypt has shown enough signs of infrastructure, administration, workforce, and politics, which is proof enough that their social structure was more complex than chiefdom societies and leans more towards a state system. An example of this is the creation of state ideology shown by the change the role of the ruler as well as a change in social relations between ruler and their subjects.
The understanding of the state system of ancient Egypt and the knowledge of how their civilization functioned adds a lot to our understanding about the civilization and how unique it is when compared to the majority of other ancient civilizations. It is very important for archaeologists to understand these key aspects of their society and how it functioned and how their civilization arose and remained successful.
I found this to be interesting as well with the lead up to the unity of Egypt. Trade routes, population increase, and mass production helped this to happen. With that also came the division of power that we see to this day; and the invent of kings and rulers; after all someone had to rule the masses. I find it interesting that archaeology and history seem like a patchwork quilt that takes time to assemble and takes the perfect pieces to make it whole. One can’t just slap any old thing in there and call it verifiable history. Every year archaeologists dig in that region and use technology from today to get to the information that will add another section to the quilt. I’m not sure if this “quilt” will ever be completed because there are still so many pieces of history that have yet to be found. This is why I also find archaeology so intriguing. It’s finding the puzzle pieces to history. It’s like a giant jigsaw puzzle instead of a quilt that is played for life. Each time we find a piece, the picture becomes clearer. To me, that link between history and archaeology is what makes the field amazing. Archaeologists don’t necessarily get to tell the story, but they get create the story that will be told. Without archaeologists we wouldn’t have the extensive histories around the world that we have today. I think finding even the smallest piece of evidence is as important as finding a big piece. One never knows what secrets it may whisper.