Abstract
Social processes studied by archaeologies of various proto-historical and early historical periods include the emergence of organised social units - states. Emergence of states is considered a long term process during which social structure transforms and participation on power changes in extent and form.
As a rule, the most significant stages of these processes occurred in time periods and areas for which the written sources are either completely lacking or only extremely fragmentary, indirect or problematic in another way. Archaeology therefore plays a key role in desribing and understanding these processes.
The aim of the workshop of a small selected group of archaeologists of proto- and early historic periods in Europe and beyond was to compare the approaches to the issue of proto-state formations in the single regions and the research traditions.