So what are "Tribal States"?

**Tuuvi** · 08-30-2014, 08:19

While playing the mod I noticed that some of the cultures are called "tribal states", for example "Eastern Tribal States" or "Indian Tribal States". I've been led to believe that tribes and states are separate, distinct forms of socio-political organization so I'm curious about what this term means. What are tribal states and how do they compare to Roman and Hellenistic states?

**Arjos** · 08-30-2014, 09:21

Keeping it as short as I can a tribe is social unit of kinsmen and kinswomen, while a state is any organised community living according to commonly accepted laws...

A tribal state is an organised community, which often fuses religion, ethnicity and the political system into a single principle...

**kdrakak** · 08-30-2014, 10:19

I am not sure but I think it's state that endorses this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUQUo74quwQ

**Ravenic** · 09-01-2014, 22:48

A tribal state is basically just a 'country' organized around a tribe. For example, the Arverni people are a 'Tribal State'...the Aedui are a 'Tribal State'.

It's just a political grouping of people based on ethnicity, religion, common ancestry, etc. into a loosely centralized body that has control over territory, some sort of military potential, and so on. In EB2 terms it's basically just a different culture, but in real life a Tribal State would theoretically be less centralized and less organized than the Roman Republic or a Hellenic State.