Having delved into the structures of matriarchal society and the ways in which it transformed into patriarchal, Panagis Lekatsas demonstrates in this book that the institution of monarchy, in the variations in which it crystallized and operated in ancient times, constitutes the result of a long-term social transformation, a complex evolutionary process that accompanied and characterized the transition from the era of gathering and hunting to the agricultural stage of production.
Milestones of his research include the organization and functioning of female royal lineages, the initial role of the king, the jurisdictions accepted through the division of responsibilities during the transition to agricultural society, the methods of succession during social transformations, the structures of matriarchal societies, the divine-royal status, and the roots of despotic theocratic monarchy.
Panagis Lekatsas first published the material of this book in 1963 in the newspaper Eleftheria with a series of articles under the general title "The Origin of Monarchy". The coherence of the articles and the scientific methodology of the study dictated the need for its publication as a book.