Lewis Henry Morgan

Lewis Henry Morgan was a 19th-century American anthropologist and social theorist known for his work on kinship and social structure among Indigenous peoples, particularly the Iroquois. He introduced concepts such as matrilineality, showing how family ties could be traced through the mother’s line. Morgan’s influential book, "Ancient Society," proposed a framework for understanding human development through stages—savagery, barbarism, and civilization. His ideas laid the groundwork for modern anthropology and social theory, emphasizing the importance of cultural context in human development and social organization.