Early Chiefdoms Offer Clues to Modern Wealth, Power, Study Says

[sugarimp]

Kate Ravilious, for National Geographic News, February 8, 2006

When human ancestors gave up a nomadic way of life to farm the land, they gathered in small communities where they could share some of their skills.These early societies, known as chiefdoms, sowed the seeds of modern human civilization

Comments

[sollersuk]

Interesting in relation to the European experience:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lepenski_Vir

I don't recall much in the way of small finds, but there was a definite difference in the size of houses, with two significantly bigger than the rest and occupying a central position in the grid.

[sollersuk]

Sorry - to save people having to go into Wikipedia: this was a Mesolithic settlement on the Danube, around 6,000 BC, pre farming, with town planning and cement-type floors. European archaeologists are consequently less ready than they were at one time to tie in settled lifestyles with agriculture versus hunter/gatherer (or in this case hunter/gatherer/fishing) lifestyles.