ABSTRACT
The previous chapters offered overviews of the components that constitute “complexity” in the context of differing types of societies, ranging from mobile hunter-gatherers to village dwellers and state systems. One of the greatest challenges archaeologists encounter is attempting to define the difference between a complex chiefdom, or, as designated in Chapter 3, a regional polity, and a state-level society. It isn’t uncommon for different archaeologists studying the same ancient culture to have differing opinions as to the level of complexity found in an ancient system. The four case studies presented in this chapter serve a dual purpose: they offer descriptions of ancient cultures that fit complexity levels ranging from simple chiefdom to incipient state, and they highlight cultural institutions that allowed leaders to ascend to power and sociopolitical complexity to develop.
