Research On Social Complexity In Prehistoric Zhengluo

Systems theory has had a significant impact on the paradigm and research methods of archaeology.The theory and methods of systems theory have a profound understanding of the mechanisms,dynamics and principles of the generation,maintenance,evolution,and mutation of social organizations.Systems theory believes that society is a complex self-organizing system,and the complexity originates from the hierarchy of the system.Archaeology believes that social complexity includes the"heterogeneity" and "inequality" of social members.The study of social complexity is an important topic in current archaeological research.The research on the process of prehistoric social complexity can be investigated from the aspects of handicraft production,industrial economy,settlement pattern and ideology.Handicraft production is closely related to the form of production organization,and changes in production methods lead to innovations in production technology.Handicraft production with ethnic groups or settlements as production units pursued the interests of the group as a whole,and there was no major conflict of interests between groups,and the society as a whole was stable.In handicraft production with family as the production unit,the interest relationship was diverse,and a complex networked relationship was formed between people and between families.There were dependencies and competitions.This complex relationship promoted the society to become increasingly complex.Controlled large-scale production was both a manifestation and a product of social complexity.The production economy had undergone a process of gradual strengthening of agriculture since the mid-Neolithic period.In the late Yangshao culture,the dominant position of agriculture was established,and in the late Longshan culture,agriculture was further strengthened.The stable development of the production economy provided the material basis for the social complexity in Zhengluo area,and also made this process stably continue.Prehistoric agricultural production with the family as the unit was the most efficient way of production.The independence of individual families and the disintegration of groups,both in terms of production activities,in terms of ownership of means of production,as well as in the distribution and consumption of products,all had an impact on social differentiation,Layering has far-reaching effects.The formation of private ownership of individual families really started the process of social complexity and civilization,and was the fundamental driving force for social complexity and civilization.From the Peiligang culture to the mid-Yangshao culture,the settlement structure was a secondary pattern,the functions of the settlement were not differentiated,and the layout of the settlement reflected the equal relationship between people.In the late Yangshao and early Longshan periods,the settlement structure was a three-level pattern,with stratification and functional differentiation among settlements,and gradual differentiation and stratification among people.In the late Longshan period,the settlement structure was a four-level pattern,with high-level settlements controlling low-level settlements,and the city site as the highest-level settlement,which was the political center.The concentration of wealth,the existence of coercive power,the differentiation of classes among people,and the emergence of social stratification order,highlight the arrival of the era of civilization.Prehistoric ideology had gone through two major stages of development,starting with the late Yangshao period.The ideology of the former stage was characterized by collectivism and was a collectivist ideology;The purpose was the ideology of private ownership.Ideology depended on and served social existences.The social ideology of primitive public ownership emphasized the collective consciousness of equality,while the ideology of private ownership society promoted the concept of hierarchy,strengthens the consciousness of inequality,and served the upper class.Since the late Yangshao period,ideology had continuously strengthened the society’s concept of wealth,hierarchy,and power,effectively promoting the development of society in an increasingly complex direction.The prehistoric society in the Zhengluo area experienced two major stages of development.Before the late Yangshao culture,the social stratification and differentiation were low,and the social pattern was a primitive public ownership society.In the late Yangshao culture and later,the society entered the stage of private ownership development.The social stratification and differentiation were obvious and deepened,and the late Longshan culture may have entered a civilized society.Human society is a self-organizing system,and the power of evolution comes from within human society.The economic form was the fundamental force to promote the evolution of the prehistoric society in Zhengluo area,and the status of agriculture was the core of the economic form.The gradual development,establishment and strengthening of agriculture have promoted corresponding changes in the form of social organization and ideology.Agricultural production made the main body of production miniaturized,and finally the family became the basic production unit of the society.At the same time,it disintegrated the original public ownership relationship,promoted the differentiation and stratification of the society,and finally leaded to civilization.Changes in the natural environment prompted people to gradually deepen their dependence on agriculture,and the establishment of an agricultural society fundamentally promoted the complex process of prehistoric society.The prehistoric culture of Zhengluo area was affected by the surrounding cultural environment at different stages of development.The surrounding culture brought handicraft technology and business model to Zhengluo area,which was an important driving force for the differentiation of social classes.In the confrontation with the Southern Miaoman Groups,the Huaxia Groups enhanced its own organizational capabilities,directly promoting the arrival of a civilized society.