Open AccessSocial complexity and inequality in the Late Neolithic of the Central Balkans: reviewing the evidence
Author(s) -
Marko Porčić
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
documenta praehistorica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.587
H-Index - 17
eISSN - 1854-2492
pISSN - 1408-967X
DOI - 10.4312/dp.39.12
Subject(s) - chiefdom , social complexity , inequality , archaeological evidence , social inequality , geography , population , craft , ethnology , history , sociology , archaeology , political science , demography , social science , politics , law , mathematical analysis , mathematics
The aim of this paper is to review and critically evaluate relevant archaeological evidence regarding recent claims about the social complexity of Late Neolithic societies in the Central Balkans. Theory suggests that the relevant evidence should be related to population size, economic intensification, ranking, and craft specialisation. It is concluded that, although there are indications that inequalities existed and also demographic potential for organisational complexity, there is no unambiguous evidence that institutionalised inequality in the form of complex polities such as chiefdoms or states ever developed