Morton Fried and Elman Service have hypothesised that Ubaid culture saw the rise of an elite class of hereditary chieftains, perhaps heads of kin groups linked in some way to the administration of the temple shrines and their granaries, responsible for mediating intra-group conflict and maintaining social order.
Morton Fried og Elman service har antaget, at Ubaid-kulturen oplevede fremkomsten af ​​en eliteklasse af arvelige høvdinge, måske overhoveder for grupper forbundet på en eller anden måde til administrationen af ​​tempelhelligdomme og deres kornmagasiner, der var ansvarlige for at forlige gruppeinterne konflikter og opretholde social orden.