in the study of ancient civilizations, one cannot decry the value of preexploratory assessments when attempting to initiate again our understanding of their worlds. these preliminary evaluations often lead us to a conclusion that the societal structures, once thought to be well-understood, are in fact unrecognizable compared to our initial theories. this realization opens the door to a more nuanced appreciation of the intricacies of ancient cultures, illuminating the vast differences and surprising similarities to our own era.