Unlike Sumer, Egypt moved fairly directly from pre-civilization to large government units, without passing through a city-state phase, though the first pharaoh, Narmer, had to conquer a number of petty local kings around 3100 B.C. ... By the same token, however, Egyptian politics tended to be more authoritarian as well as centralized, for city-states in the Mesopotamian style, though often ruled by kings, also provided the opportunity for councils and other participatory institutions. ... In all its phases, Egyptian civilization was characterized by the strength of the pharaoh. ... Given the...

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• Grade Level: Undergraduate