1. Chiefdoms and ranked societies emerged around 10,000 years ago as populations increased beyond the scope of kin-based control and food surpluses arose from agriculture and pastoralism. 2. These societies developed social hierarchies and political leaders (chiefs) who controlled important resources and enforced their dominance through mechanisms like taxation, forced labor, and the inheritance of political positions. 3. Examples of ranked societies included the Kwakiutl of the Northwest Coast, who had a ranked social structure headed by a chief position that was inherited by the eldest son through ceremonies like potlatches that reinforced social hierarchies.