From local groups to early states: the development of complexity in protohistoric Catalonia

While research on Catalan Proto-history had traditionally been rooted in Culture History, the work in the last twenty-five years has begun to throw sorne light on the crucial matters of social change and early state formation. This paper is an overview of the present state of research on these issues. Particular attention is paid to demographic growth as a crucial cause of social change, but the possible roles of migration and colonial trade are also considered.