That's one theory.

I find myself wondering what exactly differentiates a "government" from a "family council" or "tribal leadership" or whatever other phrase you want to use to describe an "authority-wielding-body with a monopoly on force."

I think "governments" are as old as people, and probably older. Many social animals have leaders who dominate the rest of the herd.

My feeling is that governments have always been here, they've just gotten bigger and maybe a little more sinister.

As with many things, the line is blurry. I think governments really start to take shape once you get past Dunbar's number [0]. When people no longer know everybody, they need to rely on rules and designated authority figures to settle disputes. I don't know of any way around that.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunbar%27s_number

>I think governments really start to take shape once you get past Dunbar's number [0].

and from the wikipedia:

"British anthropologist Robin Dunbar, who found a correlation between primate brain size and average social group size."

that brings us to possible effect of social networks (which either help to overcome brain size limitation of social group size or help that brain function to atrophy - the exact effect on the brain is yet to be determined) on the government.

The seems suspect; after all, the parliaments and other legislative chambers of most countries are larger than Dunbar's number.

Parliaments operate based on rules with a central authority, usually called the speaker, who acts to settle disputes. Parliaments do not operate like an extended family.

The speaker doesn't really settle disputes, only helps the parties do that between themselves. They're mediators, not arbitrators. And they don't even set the mediation rules. The disputes are settled by vote.

As a member of a bellicose family, I can assure you that family members (often older and respected by both sides) acting as mediators are pretty common :)

Another theory is that government was needed for building and maintaining irrigation systems in Mesopotamia and Egipt and then in China.

FYI, the pre-contact New World had civilizations with governments despite not having grains.

> not having grains.

It is well attested that several North, Meso- and South American cultures were growing maize well before the arrival of the Europeans.