A leader is defined as a person who governs, guides, or inspires others. A leader is a very important part of state formation in any society, but particularly in Egypt. Without a leader, a state does not grow and prosper as quickly and efficiently as states with leaders. Early Egyptian leaders enabled Egypt to become a notable state through their communication, ideas, innovation and will. Showing how Egyptian rulers were present in the predynastic period, how they became leaders, and how they influenced a state are important when considering the formation of the Egyptian state. In early Egypt around 4000 BC rulers were not evident in the area. In this area there were small hamlets about 1 kilometer apart from each other. Within these villages there were no people who had power or wealth over others. By 3600 BC, chiefdoms became dominant through one chief. These domains were usually located near the river, which allowed for greater wealth through fertile lands and easier trade. A chief would gain an unexpected advantage over other people in the community through experience in trade, high harvests, or victory in a small battle. This wealth would lead to power. Leaders would create allies for their communities. (Hoffman, 1979) Leaders would use their knowledge to help the chiefdom become more productive and powerful. Having this advantage allowed leaders to have financial leverage, which would allow communities to gain more wealth and power over neighboring communities. This allowed them to prevail over other political and economic communities. The chiefdoms would eventually be absorbed by their larger neighbors, leading to a more culturally consolidated Egypt. (Scarre, 2008) This helped promote the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt… halfway through the document… turning Egypt into a state. They developed a central government and military power for the state. They also provided stability to both agriculture and irrigation. They were leaders in religion and provided stability to the universe for the Egyptian people. Without such dominance and knowledge of the leaders, the Egyptian state would not have lasted as long as it did. These Egyptian leaders demonstrate how important they were in the development of the Egyptian state. Works Cited Hoffman, Michael. Egypt before the pharaohs: the prehistoric foundations of Egyptian civilization. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1979.Newby, P. H. Warrior Pharaohs: The Rise and Fall of the Egyptian Empire. London: Faber and Faber, 1980. Scarre, Christopher and Brian Fagan. Ancient Civilizations. . 3rd. New Jersey: Pearson, 2008.