Royalty is a concept almost as old as civilization itself.
The development of farming 10,000 years ago meant that people didn’t have to roam the land looking for food. They could settle down, which gave rise to cities. As great cities grew in Mesopotamia (now Iraq), Egypt, and other fertile areas, leaders rose to rule these city-states. As their power grew, they gave themselves a new, lofty title—king—and declared their relatives nobles. Family ties became the fast track to power.
But who was the first royal? Every royal family had to begin somewhere, sometime, with some “fortunate soldier” as the first king or queen. No one knows the who, where, and how behind the very first king or queen. But Egyptian dynasties (ruling families) were among the first in recorded history, and the earliest dates back to about 3100 B.C.
