IreneF commented that " there are two circumstances that must be in place before the institution can arise. The first is sedentarism and the second is metallurgy. The first kings arose once large populations were committed to farming as a way of life, and when it was no longer possible to make your own weapons. Farmers also supply a surplus of young men, which is the group of people most prone to violence."
This is perfectly true. What puzzles me is why people who aren't forced to submit to kings continue to worship them, in a slavish way. I think it is related to the same psychological trait that causes people to worship at the feet of gurus, athletes, etc. Is it related to the human necessity for operating as social beings, rather than as lone hunters like tigers? Or some distortion of our capacity for love and idealization of the beloved? I remember the crush I had on a gym teacher when I was 18, and the way I idealized her. (Maybe that's one of the reasons they recruit kids that age.)
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