Do now

Which came first, formal or informal authority? Why?

Why does authority formalize?

Unit 2, Problem 3

All societies rely on informal authority

Humans are social and learn from family, friends, neighbors and elders

What about formal authority?

Let’s look at a few different social systems

Social System 1: Hunter/Gatherer Band

• 250,000 B.C.E.-Present

• 30-60 people• Nomadic• Rely on

environment for food

• Unspecialized labor

Do hunter/gatherer societies formalize

authorities?No!

Social System 2: Agricultural Village

• 8,000 B.C.E.-Present

• 25-150 people• Sedentary • Produce food• Unspecialized

labor

Do agricultural village societies formalize

authorities?No!

Social System 3: City

• 4,000 B.C.E.-Present

• Population greater than 150

• Sedentary• Produce food• Specialized labor

Do city-based societies formalize authorities?

Yes!

What makes the difference?

Population!Population!

Getting everyone together to discuss decision-making is

challenging

Solving disputes between people who don’t know each

other is challenging

Getting human and material resources to those who need

them is challenging

Once a society reaches this level of complexity, it is

considered civilized

A civilized society is:

• Sedentary (its population doesn’t move around)

• Specialized (its population doesn’t all do the same thing)

• Stratified (its population is split into social classes; some have more than others)

• Literate (the society has developed a written language)

Civilized societies are unfailingly really good at

just 1 thing:

Making way more people

A growing population presents a society with two choices:

• Split into different uncivilized settlements

• Formalize authority and become civilized

Why not just split?

Things would be so much less complicated!

When near sedentary societies, hunter/gatherer societies become

raider/trader societies

A large population with specialized jobs can lead a

society from this…

…to this

and this

and this

and this

Why does authority formalize?

Solve the problem, using as much evidence from class as

possible.