How were Slavic communities organized when they arrived in the Balkans?

When Slavic communities arrived in the Balkans during the 6th and 7th centuries, they were primarily organized into patriarchal communities. These tribes, which included groups such as the Slavenae and the Antae, typically practiced a pastoral way of life or engaged in tilling the soil.1

Social organization was fundamentally based on the zadruga, or extended family unit. Locally, several of these zadruge were grouped under the leadership of a župan, or chieftain. Because this structure relied heavily on kinship and local ties, sustained collaboration between larger groups was often difficult. On occasion, multiple župani would unite under a veliki župan, or grand chieftain, to exert control over a larger territory for a limited time.23