The second chapter lays out the most ancient aspects of sovereign political economy from the earliest writings in major scriptural traditions (Abrahamic, Vedic, Sinic, Hellenic, etc.). It incorporates the earliest socioeconomic conceptions of the original pyramid scheme. It covers the earliest, most foundational politico-economic modes of production and legal frameworks (from Hammurabi to Akhenaten to Moses to Graeco-Roman law). In doing so, it demonstrates that the earliest laws were meant not so much to curb violence as to protect property rights (including ownership of both humans and animals)—both forms of livestock, which was the original form of non-zero-sum wealth. Conversely, it also discusses the original finite resources—bullion and land. In terms of bullion, the predominant ancient form of politico-economic thought is typically called bullionism (to accumulate as much as possible). In terms of land, the predominant ancient foundations of politico-economic thought were concerned with ideas about tribalism and blood feuds. Thus, in order to mitigate the violence caused by laws which have protected the wealth of the wealthy, the earliest politico-economic traditions, as Marcel Mauss explained in The Gift, required potlatch societies where mutual obligations were to be fostered by various forms of gift-giving patronage networks between haves and have-nots.