ABSTRACT
In this final chapter, the various strands of thought developed throughout this book in a concluding synthesis. It starts with a brief conclusion to the case study developed in the previous chapter, focusing particularly on drawing out some lines of a diachronic overview. Next, the focus is shifted back to the conceptual level to consider the merits and potential of the conceptual model proposed in this book. Rather than merely summarising earlier statements, this part will discuss some potential approaches to further operationalise the model in archaeological research. Important avenues of operationalisation that will be addressed are quantification, methodological operationalisation, and computational modelling. Finally, the chapter concludes with some musings on how study of social complexity in particular – and archaeology in general – must move forward in the (near) future.
