Re: tribes

From: Benedict Adamson <badamson_at_...>
Date: Fri, 19 Jan 2001 13:45:45 +0000


Peter Metcalfe wrote:
...
> >The other main general factor is urban living - IRW, as large sedentary
> >settlements and towns evolve, kinship systems (which are also economic,
> >resource exploitation and work-organisation systems) evolve to match the
> >new reality.
>
> But more than 90% of the people will still live in rural areas
> so even if the urban clans are bent out of shape, the rural
> clans will still be recognizable. In this way, the Orlanthi
> survived the rise and fall of the EWF without too much change
> in their clan structure.

...

The existence of a sizeable urban population distorts rural society. Transition from a subsistence economy to a money economy, dependent on ready access to towns, will happen once towns are numerous enough. Medieval society is not Dark Age society, yet both are substantially rural.

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