Event

The results of cross-cultural and comparative studies of early states have revolutionized anthropological and archaeological conceptions of pathways to complexity. The paper draws on this rising scholarship and re-examines the theories of Karl Wittfogel. My focus is on the infrastructural base of mid and lower level contributors as the forces that moved state’s forward and centers on cooperation, collective action and networks, drawn from archaeological field research in the New and Old World, as core elements of state building and maintenance. A view inclusive of these factors results in a more holistic understanding of early states in which one size does not fit all. More strongly focused on South Asia, my primary case study is the Indus civilization, where corporate groups formed the core of the civilization’s infrastructure.