IntroductionThe State is a relatively recent phenomenon in human history, emerging between 6000 and 3500 BC (Ember, Ember, Peregrine, 2005). Therefore a critical question for anthropology must be: what is the state and why and how did it appear? The most widely accepted definition of a state is an organization that attempts to maintain a monopoly on the use of force and violence in a given territorial area (Rothbard, 2009, p. 11). These powers include the ability to collect taxes, recruit men for work or war, and direct and enforce laws (Carneiro, 1970). Another way of looking at the state is to distinguish the way it acquires wealth. According to Franz Oppenheimer there are two means to acquire wealth: political means and economic means. The State uses the political means which is “the unrequited appropriation of other people's work”. The economic means is the exchange of one's labor with that of others, for the satisfaction of needs (Oppenheimer, 1922, p. 30). States should not be confused with chiefdoms, which are “a society with centralized but not internally specialized authority” (Spencer, 2010, p. 1). The purpose of this article is to describe the three frequently discussed theories of the origin of the state: hydraulic theory (irrigation), constituency, and the land expansion model (local and long-distance trade). I will discuss, criticize and implement all three theories according to my vision of the state. Hydraulic Theory Karl August Wittfogel became a major proponent of hydraulic theory in the 1950s. The theory states that “initial statehood (primary states) and the development of power are directly related to the need for society to build and manage large… middle of paper… A Theory of the Origin of the State: Theories traditional theories on the origins of the State are considered and rejected in favor of a new ecological hypothesis. " Science 169.3947 (1970): 733-38. Print. Ember, Carol R., Melvin Ember, and Peter N. Peregrine " Chap. 13: Origins of Cities and States." Anthropology. 13th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2005. 215+. Print.Nikolay, Kradin N. "State Origins in Anthropological Thought." Social Evolution and History 1st ser. 8 (2009): 25-43. Print.Oppenheimer, Franz The State: Its History and Development Seen Sociologically New York: BW Huebsch, 1922. Print.Rothbard, Murray N. Anatomy of the State Von Mises Institute, 2009 . Print.Spencer, C.S. "Inaugural Article: Territorial Expansion and Primary State Formation"..