Socio-Political Structure in Central Anatolia in the Third Millennium BC

Abstract

In Central Anatolia, the socio-economic and political organization of communities in the 3rd millennium BC includes a limited number of studies from different perspectives. These studies refer to a socio-political system in which administrative units divided into regions and provinces are administered by “local rulers”, “independent princes" or "kings". It is suggested that the cities of these principalities were surrounded by walls, they were administered by a ruling class, they participated in commercial activities and the existence of an organization they controlled these, and emphasis is placed on the class society structure consisting of administrators, soldiers and merchants. As mentioned here, the social structure of the socities of the 3rd millennium BC and their relations with each other in the subject region are generally considered in a hierarchical order, and complicate to understand the different social models. Since the social structure cannot be explained only in hierarchical order, some new approaches have been developed. Accordingly, although different individuals in the society gain priority in various activities such as religion, trade, and politics, they may not exhibit a central and hierarchical structure in power relations. In this paper, based on this approach, the socio-political structure and power phenomenon of the 3rd millennium BC communities in the region will be discussed within the socio-economic models, production and specialization, evidence of administrative practices, patterns of settlement, burial customs, phenomenon of belief and remnants of material culture pointing to social complexity, and the views that refer to hierarchical structuring in power relations will be approached.