Gerry wrote:
>>>Back to the definitions for the word state. Were you a bit surprised
that the first 25 or so definitions referred to things other than "a
settled government" for the term "state". I know I was.
-snip-
And the earliest citations were from early British references. When
Egypt was supposedly "forming a state" the concept for "state" hadn't
been invented! So I question the role of Pharoah -- I think Pharoah had
to have been some form of "god". And the "servants" who built the
pyramids were likely dedicated "believers" doing good works for a decent
afterlife...
-snip-
Gerry<<<
Gerry, what is your point? The fact that the word "state" in English
(and a few other languages) has a bunch of different meanings is
irrelevant to what kind of government existed in the ancient Egypt.
There are lots of other less ambiguous words that describe the same
concept- take republic, kingdom, empire, duchy, county, etc. Those are
the words that are used to describe different states and governments
that exist all over the world.
I simply don't understand what you are leading to. Imagine, there is
this really mean and strong guy who likes to fight and doesn't like to
work. He gathers a few buddies, gives them heavy sticks and they go
beat up some people in a neighbouring village and loot it. They do it a
couple more times, then they just tell the villagers:"Bring us what we
want every month and we want come back to beat you." And then the
villagers come to him seaking protection from another warlord who's
trying to rob them. So now we have a ruler with some fighting men who
protects his villagers - there you go, a state! (Looks remarkably like
mafia's raketeering thing, no?)
And it doesn't matter if they don't have a word for "state", or if
their "state" word means a bunch of other stuff, a state is basically a
territory with some form of government on it, and that's what they have.
Gene