What is the most basic government; where does governing really start?

some would argue that it started in Mesopotamia where civilization started. Hence why it had a civil governance.

But i'd like to think true governance was in classical greece.

Probably in the family. It has a basic hierarchy of authority. And then after the family, government starts at a community level. Then at a city level. Then at a state level. Then at a national level.

The most basic level of government begins with the relationship between any two or more people. When authority is exercised or an agreement is reached, it's an act of governing.

monarchy. governing starts with a need for someone to take the leadership role.

The earliest form of governments were actually slave traders, who realized that a human being who could produce more than he consumed was worth....hunting, catching, breaking in.

Simple economics.

Could be something like a city council or a town hall, where you vote either yourself or have a representative you choose to give input on political, social, health & welfare, and economic issues before the body. That process could work it's way up from the municipal to the regional to the national level.

Then again, could be in the hands of one person and you have no say at all, in which case that would be totalitarian or dictatorial governance, which you would not find to be representative and may or may not consider good governance. You might ask someone who's lived in a police state how that was for them.

Then it could also be in the hands of a collective where everyone is supposedly equal, and folks take turns being the one in charge (There is always a first amongst equals). This could be the case in basic agrarian society working through an autonomous collective or a "anarcho-syndicalist commune" where "Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses."

Monty Python & the Holy Grail gives some stunning and insightful political commentary on the ins and outs of political systems and governance

ARTHUR: Please, please good people. I am in haste. Who lives in that castle?
WOMAN: No one live there.
ARTHUR: Then who is your lord?
WOMAN: We don't have a lord.
ARTHUR: What?
DENNIS: I told you. We're an anarcho-syndicalist commune. We take it in turns to act as a sort of executive officer for the week.
ARTHUR: Yes.
DENNIS: But all the decision of that officer have to be ratified at a special biweekly meeting.
ARTHUR: Yes, I see.
DENNIS: By a simple majority in the case of purely internal affairs,--
ARTHUR: Be quiet!
DENNIS: --but by a two-thirds majority in the case of more
ARTHUR: Be quiet! I order you to be quiet!
WOMAN: Order, eh -- who does he think he is?
ARTHUR: I am your king!
WOMAN: Well, I didn't vote for you.
ARTHUR: You don't vote for kings.
WOMAN: Well, 'ow did you become king then?
ARTHUR: The Lady of the Lake, [angels sing] her arm clad in the purest shimmering samite, held aloft Excalibur from the bosom of the water signifying by Divine Providence that I, Arthur, was to carry Excalibur. [singing stops] That is why I am your king!
DENNIS: Listen -- strange women lying in ponds distributing sword is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.
ARTHUR: Be quiet!
DENNIS: Well you can't expect to wield supreme executive power
just 'cause some watery tart threw a sword at you!
ARTHUR: Shut up!
DENNIS: I mean, if I went around sayin' I was an emperor just
because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me they'd put me away!
ARTHUR: Shut up! Will you shut up!
DENNIS: Ah, now we see the violence inherent in the system.
ARTHUR: Shut up!
DENNIS: Oh! Come and see the violence inherent in the system! HELP! HELP! I'm being repressed!
ARTHUR: Bloody peasant!
DENNIS: Oh, what a give away. Did you here that, did you here that, eh? That's what I'm on about -- did you see him repressing me, you saw it didn't you?

Cheers!

family with your parents in charge. then someone leading any small group usually because he knows the task at hand. then you work up in size and types of picking the leader.

Good question and resulting good answers, so we can understand this as a 'hierarchy of authority' that is based and powered by 'personalities', who find their confirmation and satisfaction by entertaining themselves in the big game of governing.
And we are the brave sheep that follow the game and those established authorities. We know that those selected big guys will do their best to give us the feeling that we can trust them and they will think for us!
Isn't this the basic reason why we are slaves of a system that sucks us, making us dump and letting us follow given goals that doesn't really serves us but a few who are using us.
Where does governing really starts? It starts because we are too lazy to think by ourselves, too dump to take self responsibility, too dependent to have any doubts and too unaware of ourselves for any kind of movement or decision. We deserve what we got, it is the outcome of our own stupidity, allowing to be manipulated to such an extent!
Oh yes, we can complain about every thing and there will be always found enough reasons to give the fault to somebody, but never anyone will look at themselves! There consumerism, slavery and governing starts!
InkyPinkie
Edit: @Kuve: Yes, Socrates is right when he says one has to start with oneself, but it is not about control of oneself, it is about knowing oneself. 'Control is the way of the leaders who control us... We might change with our votes the officials, but what will happen?
Cesar was ask why he allows this fat senators to stay in his councel, he better should kick them out. Cesar answered: If I change them against others then those will grab and take until they also will be fat, so I can leave the ones who are already fat.
Is there any doubt that our system is corrupt? And of course we, identified with our personality, are corrupt because we want to survive and all means and tricks are used for it and indeed we don't want to look at ourselves... The established system serves us and we serve the system. A mutual exchange, every body is satisfied. Or not? So, then why to change anything about it? We are already fat and still want more...

Socrates would argue that it starts with ourselves, if we can't control ourselves and subordinate our momentary desires to a larger purpose or a greater good then nothing we do will ever result in a benefit to society as a whole. Any government ultimately derives it's power from the consent of the people, even a slave must, at some point, agree to be a slave since if he doesn't and chooses to die instead he can't be enslaved, only killed. In a Democracy the elected officials have power because we have chosen to give it to them, if enough of us choose to vote against them to remove them from office then their power is gone. People who have chosen to concentrate solely on their own immediate gratification while becoming totally apathetic about their civic duties leave their government unsupervised and unrestricted, and such people therefor have no grounds for complaint if they don't like the result.

Governing probably started already in the beginning of humankind, when one was clever enough finding out that he/she could use her power to make others what she/he wanted. This started with her/his nearest family members and then included others. When the first 'medicine man/woman' told frightened people that the thunder and lightening came from the thunder god because he was angry and that one must calm him down by offering some food to him, what of course the witch doctor took then for himself -, then there started the 'governing'. This of course came during history to such perfection that people could be manipulated in the most sophisticated way and that they had full trust and so were depending totally on their 'authorities'. That was possible to happen and still is, because people like to follow and they don't like to take self responsibility.
The names of the leading people have changed from medicine man and witch doctor to priest, medical doctor and president, but the roles are still the same. Pretending to act in the interest of people, but in reality just being involved in power games that serves in the first place their own personality, even they might have the self image that they are altruistic, idealistic and doing their best for people. They are just victims of the created system, that swallows all and every body.
But as it is becoming obvious that this system and the dependency from it is causing humanity to be stuck in their evolution and brings all existence to an end by destroying our environment, - so there will be a shift necessary, - if it is not already too late...
What we can do about it, would be another good question to follow.
Thank you for making a start, so that we can think about it and might find a creative solution!
BeiYin
Edit: I just noticed the answer of 'Rich', I think this is an excellent example how power and manipulation works by the leading system!
Edit: @Kuve: Don't you know that those in 'office' are just puppets allowed to be there in the big chess play of power? Are you really so naive that you believe in 'Democracy'?