Kit Opie
@kitopie.bsky.social
Senior Lecturer in Evolutionary Anthropology, @bristolantharch.bsky.social University of Bristol - drivers of change in human evolution - origin of the state - origins of inequality.
Agreed - and there also maybe more things causing turbulence for the state. A look at how states emerged in the first place might help us understand what is happening right now. theconversation.com/the-real-rea...
This is the more accessible version.
This is the more accessible version.
The real reason states first emerged thousands of years ago – new research
New findings add weight to the theory that states didn’t just spring up from any kind of farming – it had to be grain.
theconversation.com
November 25, 2025 at 7:24 PM
Agreed - and there also maybe more things causing turbulence for the state. A look at how states emerged in the first place might help us understand what is happening right now. theconversation.com/the-real-rea...
This is the more accessible version.
This is the more accessible version.
We (with @drqueue.bsky.social) explain the process in @uk.theconversation.com theconversation.com/the-real-rea....
The real reason nation states first emerged thousands of years ago – new research
New findings add weight to the theory that nation states didn’t just spring up from any kind of farming – it had to be grain.
theconversation.com
November 25, 2025 at 2:00 PM
We (with @drqueue.bsky.social) explain the process in @uk.theconversation.com theconversation.com/the-real-rea....
The real reason nation states first emerged thousands of years ago – new research
New findings add weight to the theory that nation states didn’t just spring up from any kind of farming – it had to be grain.
theconversation.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:46 PM
We (with @drqueue.bsky.social) explain the process in @uk.theconversation.com theconversation.com/the-real-rea....
Thanks for this great article about my study.
November 25, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Thanks for this great article about my study.
Taxable grain needed writing, which was invented and adopted to record those taxes. This system was then used by small elites to maintain extreme hierarchies. Our findings support Scott's theory. And understanding these forces may help explain why modern states are under pressure today!
November 25, 2025 at 10:17 AM
Taxable grain needed writing, which was invented and adopted to record those taxes. This system was then used by small elites to maintain extreme hierarchies. Our findings support Scott's theory. And understanding these forces may help explain why modern states are under pressure today!
Grains (or grasses) - wheat, barley, rice, and maize were ideal crops because they grow above ground, ripen at a predictable time, and are readily stored, allowing elites to tax efficiently.
This extraction by "Mafia-style protection rackets" according to James Scott —was the origin of the state.
This extraction by "Mafia-style protection rackets" according to James Scott —was the origin of the state.
November 25, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Grains (or grasses) - wheat, barley, rice, and maize were ideal crops because they grow above ground, ripen at a predictable time, and are readily stored, allowing elites to tax efficiently.
This extraction by "Mafia-style protection rackets" according to James Scott —was the origin of the state.
This extraction by "Mafia-style protection rackets" according to James Scott —was the origin of the state.