Egyptian Leadership

A leader is defined as a person who rules, guides, or inspires others. A leader is a very important part of state formation in any society, but particularly in Egypt. Without a leader, a state does not grow and flourish as quickly or efficiently as states with leaders. Early Egyptian leaders allowed Egypt to become a notable state through their communication, ideas, innovation, and will. Showing how Egyptians rulers made a presence in the predynastic period, how they developed to be leaders, and how they impacted a state are important when considering Egyptian state formation.

In early Egypt around 4000 B.C. rulers were not evident within the area. In this area there were small hamlets about 1 kilometer apart. Within these hamlets there were not any people who had power or wealth over others. By 3600 B.C., chiefdoms became dominant through a chieftain. These chiefdoms were usually located close to the river which allowed for more wealth through fertile lands and easier trade. A chieftain would gain an unforeseen advantage over the other people of the community through expertise in trade, high crop yields, or a victory in a small battle. This wealth would lead to power. Chieftains would create allies for their communities. (Hoffman, 1979) Leaders would use their knowledge to help the chiefdom become more productive and powerful. Having this advantage allowed leaders to have leverage, which would allow communities to acquire more wealth and power over neighboring communities. This allowed them to override other political and economic communities. Chiefdoms would eventually be absorbed by their larger neighbors, leading to a more culturally consolidated Egypt. (Scarre, 2008) This helped push for the unification of Upper and Lower Eg...

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...ify Egypt as a state. They developed a central government and a military power for the state. Also they provided stability in both farming and irrigation. They were leaders in religion and provided stability of the universe for the Egyptian people. Without such dominant and knowledge about leaders the Egyptian state would not have lasted as long as it did. These leaders of Egypt show how important they were in the development of the Egyptian state.

Works Cited

Hoffman, Micheal. Egypt before the pharoahs: the prehistoric foundations of Egyptian civilization. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1979.

Newby, P.H. Warrior pharaohs: The rise and fall of the Egyptian empire. London: Faber and Faber , 1980.

Scarre, Christopher, and Brian Fagan. Ancient Civilizations. . 3rd. New Jersey: Pearson, 2008.