ABSTRACT
The early state societies of Mesopotamia and Egypt provide a study in contrasts. In Mesopotamia, cities were at the center of the state, while in Egypt, monumental mortuary complexes were critical to the emergence of social complexity. The growth of the cities of Mesopotamia was based on the production of agricultural surplus. The pyramids of Old Kingdom Egypt are among the most impressive monuments ever built. This chapter examines the emergence of the great palaces of Minoan and Mycenaean Greece, the setting for the myth of the Minotaur. The palaces were more than simply the setting for spectacle. They were also the seat of the administration of the Aegean early state societies. The development of royal mortuary architecture in Egypt has its roots in the Predynastic period. The earliest structure identified as a royal tomb is Tomb 100 from the site of Hierakonpolis, which dates to the end of the Predynastic period.
