Humanity has practiced all kinds of ways of subsistence, or getting food. This table shows different modes of subsistence and the affects they've had on social organization.
| Band | Tribe | Chiefdom | State/Civilization | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subsistence: | Foraging | Foraging/pastoralism | Horticulture or (rarely) foraging | Agriculture |
| Mobility: | High | Medium/cyclic | Low | Lowest |
| Food storage: | Little: days to months | Little: weeks to months | Medium: seasons to a few years | High: reliance on stored foods |
| Emphasis on property: | Low but present | Medium: among pastoralists, herded animals are property of individuals | High: elites own special items | High: major differences in material possessions by economic class |
| Attitudes toward social ranking: | Low: little stratification and generally equal access to resources for all members | Medium: among pastoralists, families with more animals have higher rank | High: hereditary elite class exists, but has more power to coerce than command | Very high: resources allotted depend on social rank |
| Population: | 10–150 | Less than 200 | Low hundreds to 1,500 | Tens of thousands to millions or billions |
| Examples: | Paiute of North American Great Basin, Inuit of Arctic Canada | Maasai of East Africa (cattle herders), Saami of Arctic Scandinavia (reindeer herders) | Maori of New Zealand, Vikings of medieval Scandinavia | Ancient Egypt and Greece, Shang China, Maya (Mexico and Guatemala), United States |