A lineage-bonded society is a type of acephalous society predicated on claims of a common ancestor. A lineage-bonded society is by population, the smallest classification of acephalous society. Beyond a certain size threshold, claims of common lineage become untenable, and the social ties resulting from those claims destabilize. A lineage-bonded society that outgrows its limits may break apart into subgroups. Such branches would then either become separate lineage-bonded societies, or would merge with a neighboring society. When two lineage-bonded societies merge in such a way, the outcome is a land-bonded society