In the series of essays on the state, Vladimir Zolotorev describes the origin of this institution from the perspective of a theory that differs slightly from the well-known stationary bandit theory, although it is certainly based on it. The difference lies in the point that stability is given to early state formations by the characteristics of the landscape: only where there is nowhere to run are the enslaved forced to stay put and submit to the conqueror.

This is the so-called ecological hypothesis, first formulated in the work of Robert L. Carneiro, a staff member of the American Museum of Natural History, A Theory of the Origin of the State, published in the journal Science in 1970. A Russian translation was made for the collection The Early State, Its Alternatives and Analogues, published in 2006. I have uploaded the collection to my website, and Carneiro’s specific article can be read from Bitarch on VK or where he dug it up.

I have reviewed it and confirmed that there are no serious discrepancies with our video about the stationary bandit, which is gratifying, as no patches will be necessary. Nevertheless, it is always pleasant to understand which sources the things you popularize are based on, and what additional examples can be used to illustrate your posts.