The only raw materials they had were plants, mud and water. The demand for simple commodities such as stone and salt led to systematic exchange of agricultural produce for such materials, and the emergence of an administrative structure to direct exchanges and redistribute goods. Those with better access to resources, for example irrigation water, can increase production greatly and accumulate surpluses. This may be a foundation for manipulating others through supplying food. Wealth differences lead to centralization of power and authority.
Rich folks generate demand for arts, crafts and construction projects, etc.
Management of all the complex demands requires centralized power and authority. This is in essence similar to Rathje's trade hypothesis, but involves much more than control of commodities. In one sense it is a theory of everything. Wenke works mainly in Egypt so it may reflect all the factors he sees in play after the rise of Dynastic Egyptian civilization. In both models the problem that complex organizations and administration seems to be designed to solve is supplying populations with scarce or controllable materials and finished goods they cannot obtain locally.