What Was the Government Like During the Neolithic Revolution?
Governments during the Neolithic Revolution were small and varied by region, and they were based around river systems and agriculture. Famous governments that started during the Neolithic Revolution include Egypt, Mesopotamia and those in the Indus River Valley.
Because of the changing lifestyles from hunters and gathers to agriculturists, the small group of leaders who were common before turned into small but often powerful governments. The most commonly known of these early Neolithic governments began where agriculture thrived. This was often near rivers in the flood plain where the soil was the most fertile.
The leaders in these fledgling governments were often associated with the predominant religion of the area. For instance, the pharaohs of Egypt were thought to be descendants of their culture’s gods. Therefore, their rule was absolute because it would be foolish, in the minds of the people, to question the words of the gods.
Under the kings or pharaohs were the other classes of people. The class system was part of the lifestyle change that happened with the development of agriculture and a diversified labor force. Directly under the king was the priestly class, those who were in charge of the day-to-day religious ceremonies in the kingdom. They frequently served as advisers to the kings based on their interpretations of the will of the gods.
