> Agriculture is a precondition for a society divided into classes (for social, not practical reasons).
I would completely reverse this... a society divided into classes is a precondition for agricultural society (for practical, not social reasons).
In the period of early civilization, convincing people to work 16 hours in the fields or in the mines is very difficult if they have any other viable option, including migrant hunter/gathering. Therefore, it is necessary to create a class of people that have no other viable options, either by slavery or other forms of inequality. The social structures surrounding inequality evolved as a method of maintaining this practical class stratification.
I would completely reverse this... a society divided into classes is a precondition for agricultural society (for practical, not social reasons).
In the period of early civilization, convincing people to work 16 hours in the fields or in the mines is very difficult if they have any other viable option, including migrant hunter/gathering. Therefore, it is necessary to create a class of people that have no other viable options, either by slavery or other forms of inequality. The social structures surrounding inequality evolved as a method of maintaining this practical class stratification.