Question

As some horticultural societies of the past developed more intensive agricultural subsistence patterns when their populations grew into the thousands, they were forced to create new levels of political integration in order to maintain unity and order. Which of the following did they develop first?

a) Chiefdom
b) State

Answer 1

The first form of political organization developed by horticultural societies as they grew was the chiefdom, which was a precursor to the establishment of states.

Step-by-step explanation:

As horticultural societies developed more intensive agricultural patterns and grew in population, they were forced to create new levels of political integration to maintain unity and order. The first form of political organization that they developed was the chiefdom. Anthropologist Elman Service proposed a social organization evolution sequence, where chiefdoms come after bands and tribes, and before the emergence of states. Chiefdoms are characterized by the formal and inherited positions of leadership, with chiefs expanding their dominion by incorporating several towns and villages, and potentially forming alliances with other regional chiefs. These chiefdoms often laid the groundwork for further centralization of power, eventually giving rise to states, with complex bureaucracies, laws, and military forces as societies became more populous and hierarchical