In early civilizations and other complex preindustrial societies, inequality was regarded as a normal condition and injustice as a personal misfortune or even an individual's just deserts rather than as a social evil (Weber 1976 [1896]: 258). Structures based on differential power were pervasive. Every child was born into and socialized by a family that was internally hierarchized in the image of the state. The subordination of children to their parents and, to varying degrees, of wives to their husbands went unquestioned, as did corporal punishment as a means of enforcing obedience and discipline (Trigger 1985b). Young people were expected to obey older people, especially older men. ‘Father’, ‘king’, and ‘god’ were often synonyms and metaphors for power. While most small farming communities were already hierarchized, they became even more so with the development of more complex societies. The most powerful and advantaged members of these communities strengthened their positions by acting as intermediaries between their fellow villagers and the state. The general pervasiveness of inequality ensured that its legitimacy went unquestioned. If egalitarian social organization was known to people in early civilizations, it was as a feature of small-scale and usually despised societies beyond the pale.

In all early civilizations richer and more powerful people cultivated a distinctive lifestyle. They controlled the major public institutions and used this control to protect and enhance their wealth and power. They also tended to marry people of similar status and to restrict and control vertical social mobility.