The Construction of Large-scale Networks in Late Chalcolithic Mesopotamia: Emergent Political Institutions and Their Strategies

Emergent institutions are considered pivotal in the shift from small-scale to urban, and politically- centralized societies in the ancient Near East. Despite the abundance of evidence on this phenomenon, a detailed definition of the “structures and performances” of emergent political institutions is yet to be offered, making early Mesopotamian institutions as de facto black boxes. This paper focuses on the construction of large-scale networks by political institutions in Late Chalcolithic Mesopotamia with the aim of reframing narratives on their developmental traits. The article draws on archaeological, textual and anthropological evidence for attempting to define some determinants of institutional behaviors and political economies in early urban Mesopotamia.