NOT A KING, WHEN THE SYSTEM IS A RULER: A SYSTEMS-FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS OF THE INSTITUTIONAL INTERLOCK IN THE INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION

Abstract

This paper presents the Systems-theoretical framework of the Indus Valley Civilization (IVC).  The study frames the IVC social system under the AGIL framework with four elements (Adaptive, Integrative, Goal-oriented, and Latency). This paper argues that IVC presents a complex social system. The civilization sustained itself without any centralized political authority. IVC operated through a heterarchical system of governance. Unlike the monarchies in other civilizations such as Egypt and Mesopotamia. The study argues that social order in the IVC emerged from the interdependence and interlocking of social institutions. A qualitative synthesis was applied to the archaeological literature synthesis. The paper examines how family, economy, religion, politics, and education collectively function and achieve AGIL in the IVC. By describing each social institution separately, the paper found connectivity: although each social institution has its own functionality, it overlaps with others, strengthening them; together, the system itself rules like a ruler in the IVC. The study concludes that authority in the IVC resided in the system itself: a heterarchical, self-regulating network of institutions that governed society without kings or centralized power.