Chiefdom

Considering Social Complexity 

Evaluating a Recent Archeological Find: 

 Middle Neolithic clay figurine 

Taking into account the stages of cultural evolution, the Koutroulou Magoula site (c. 5800 - 5300 B.C.) excavation shows that this population had a number of developing complexities, located near the Greek village of Neo Monastiri, around 160 miles from Athens, Greece. This first became evident to archeologists through the unearthing of architecturally sophisticated houses. But even more notable than the multiple-generationally occupied stone and mud-bricks walls and building foundations was the discovery of over 300 figurines, found placed within these structures and all throughout the site.

Even if these figurines represent purely aesthetic pursuits, the differences in design (male/ female/ human-bird hybrid) are proof that the Neolithic people had the craftsmanship, time, interest and thought-capacity necessary to interpret their bodies, gender, and social identity. To distinctively craft genders displays that the people possessed a heightened awareness of, and interest in, their physiological differences, and likely grasped the basic concepts of their reproduction and relationship with another. It is important to note the consequence of comparative consideration, as matching one’s qualities against others will develop preference, status, and ultimately power. The most important deduction from these figurines is social identity, as social identity and (consequentially) social status are the key components in establishing a social hierarchy. The question remains, to what extent and complexity was this hierarchy practiced?

Another important consideration in determining the complexity of this population is their labor specialization – the Koutroulou Magoula people used obsidian and flint tools, farmed the land, and maintained domestic animals. And, as deduced from construction remnants, it appears that this labor was performed communally.

 Near the village of Vardali and Neo Monastiri in Fthiotida, Greece 

Evaluating the large population and the structural remains— it seems rather unlikely that a few hundred people were able to come together and carry out such expansive communal, and possibly socially beneficial, projects without centralized leadership, like chiefdom.

Though there is no tangible evidence of a complex social-hierarchy, the Koutroulou Magoula site has many of the ingredients necessary for a culture of chiefdom. So, it is beyond reasonable to state that the group functioned as a social tribe, at the minimum.

Taking on a broader lens, the Neolithic period (from which this site is dated) is characterized by the banding of small tribes of people, and the gradual transition of those tribes from hunter- gathering to farmers with domesticated animals. Socially complex cultures had just begun to emerge. In Europe and Southeast Asia, during the Middle Neolithic, we have our first appearance of ceremonial monuments and large group tombs. This is notable, as it indicates these cultures had developed communities and more complex social practices. Rituals at these ceremonial sites included significant (likely symbolic) items, well-crafted tools, ceramics and human remains. These factors are significant because they show that other cultures within the same period had noticeably developed more hierarchical cultures. So, it is likely the people of the Koutroulou Magoula site were organized with a similar structure.

Overall, there is too little known about the social cultures from this period to make a well-established claim. Even still, chiefdom seems most plausible.