Excellent essay, a long view back at our path to our current predicaments. Metals, improvement in tools and weapons also led to hierarchy. Harder to make long lasting metal tools, from ore mining and smelting, requires lots of trees for hot furnaces. Privileged power goes to the owners. Suddenly it’s a competition to sacrifice nature and others to make the best weapons. Or be overwhelmed by others who do just that. As is today with our arms races, carpet bombing, drones and nuclear immolation threats. All driven by what we fear the most, which is the nightmares of other people.

Pottery both increases food and water storage, but restricted diet options, to what stored well. Poor nutrition leads to a dependent class that lacks mental capacity and physical survival capacity. They then attract oppressors and minders. Rather than con, it is likely that multiple factors and results converged on similar emergent patterns and relationships. The rationalisations and religious explanations did the rest. People find their roles written for them by circumstances and futures beyond their control, and society creates places to exploit them.