Long before modern superpowers like the United States and China emerged, there were city-states that grew into empires--vast areas of land ruled over by an emperor or single centralized government. How did the world's earliest settlements manage this kind of growth? This video presents some answers to this question.
Like the city-state itself, empires were made possible by agriculture. Farmers paid taxes each year to the government. These taxes, paid in the form of surplus grain, funded a central government, an army, and a state religion. So farming was directly linked to the growth of city-states. Religion was another factor. Cities often grew into city-states because they were religious centers where major temples to gods were located. Once a city-state became powerful, its ruler had two main jobs: to grow the wealth and power of the city-state, and to expand its borders. Armies defended their city-states from attack, but an army’s main purpose was to conquer neighboring peoples. Ancient city-states spent at least half their money on expansion and conquest.
Question
What factors allowed city-states to grow into empires?
