Ranked societies are characterized by disparities in personal status that are often accompanied by the concentration of power and authority in the hands of a few dominant individuals. They stand between the sophistication of developed, states and the relative simplicity of most hunter-gatherer groups and early agriculturalists. In some places and times they represented relatively brief phases of transition to more complex forms of organization; in others they existed as stable forms of adaptation for thousands of years. They are thus of great interest for archaeologists seeking to understand the dynamics of cultural evolution.

Book Information
ISBN 9780521105095
Author Lord Colin Renfrew
Format Paperback
Page Count 176
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 410g