Mesopotamia. First evidence of organization into chiefdoms rather than bands. These were groups of villages that accepted the authority of a single powerful man. It was generally an intermediate stage between tribe and kingdom. In Mesoamerica and the Andes, this stage would occur 4,500 years later. With the advent of chiefdoms, for the first time in human history, people had to learn to encounter strangers without attempting to kill them. They also learned to recognize a somewhat recognizable authority (chief, leader) who controlled power and information.
