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Evidence For Clan-Based Political Organization
- A reconstructed word meaning tribal or clan chieftain implies Indo-Europeans organized in small clans, not large kingdoms.
- Archaeology later supports emergence of village chiefs and hierarchical burials.
Root Of Rule Is 'Setting Things Right'
- The root rech/rach meant 'to set right' and links to words for kings and regulation across Indo-European languages.
- This ties rulership to duties of correction and regulation rather than mere dominance.
Language Encodes Reciprocal Gift Exchange
- Cognate pairs that mean 'give' in some languages and 'take' in others suggest reciprocal gift exchange.
- The language encodes giving and receiving as a single social process requiring counter-gifts.