ABSTRACT
We use the phrase “cultural institutions,” which derives from cultural anthropology, to refer to the pillars that combine to create every human culture. Although there are many “cultural institutions,” including aspects of human societal structure such as art, marriage and residence patterns, and education, this chapter takes up the components that comprise the societal institutions often cited as the elements of “complexity” in ancient civilizations. Four cultural institutions, central components of human social organization, are explored here: kinship relationships and associated social relationships, religious belief systems, economic systems, including aspects of exchange patterns, and political structures. It is the latter two, economic and political systems, that are most often associated with the development of complex society, and these receive the most discussion here.
