ABSTRACT

This chapter defines a state-organized society and discusses some of the factors that contributed to the development of early civilizations. It examines some of the theories surrounding their origins. Everyone who has studied the prehistory of human society agrees that the emergence of civilization in different parts of the world was a major event in human adaptation. Archaeological research into early civilization concentrates on the origin and development of the city. By the same token, modern researchers have shown that ecology was only one component in a mosaic of many changes that led to state-organized societies. In recent years, archaeology has shifted away from systems-ecological approaches toward a greater concern with individuals and groups. Today the city is the primary human settlement type throughout the world, and it has become so since the Industrial Revolution altered the economic face of the globe. Economic power depends on the ability to organize more specialized production and the diverse tasks of food storage and food distribution.