Glossary · Term · government
Chiefdom
The chiefdom was the form in which many farming and fishing peoples first lived under permanent rulers: a hereditary chief at the head of ranked kin, fed by tribute and upheld by ritual rather than by officials.
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See also
Cite this entry
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Chiefdom. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/chiefdom
- MLA
- “Chiefdom.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/chiefdom. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Chiefdom.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/chiefdom.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Chiefdom’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/chiefdom (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻