> 2. presence of settlements is an indicator of political organisation, but political organisation is not a requirement for settlements
I disagree. People living next to each other need to reach a political order (organisation) even if it is tacit. A common understanding of a shared living space where you can trust your neighbour to not try to steal you or enslave you is a form of political organisation, even if no interaction between the settlers ever occur. Likewise, a settlement where the strongest people enslave the others is also a political organisation. Also, seasonal settlements where people only spend a few weeks a year also require political organisations to coordinate on the dates and logistics.
Monarchy and anarchy are forms of political organisation, just like families, unions and corporations.
I would agree if we were talking about _Institutionalised_ political organisation, but this statement would still be wrong:
> In terms of proof of political organization, that requires evidence like writing or inscriptions.
Other forms of evidence can prove institutionalised politics. For instance, the presence of shared infrastructure, palaces, temples, monuments, royal funerary sites, battles, etc.
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