Dunbar and the ANE Lifestyle

Sometime near the beginning of my clerical training in the 1970s, I learned a single pastor could be supported full time beginning around 50 members, and was pretty solid at 75. But as the congregation grew, he would not be able to lead effectively by himself when it got above 150 in regular attendance.
Sometime later, someone named Dunbar presented solid evidence this is wired into the human brain. A single human leader is unable to maintain sufficient emotional attachment to more than some number ranging between 100 – 230.
In Scripture, we see references to multi-generational households with a living grandfather as elder at about 50 people. This accounts for his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, married in folks, servants, etc. A larger clan household around 150 was the same bunch a couple of prosperous generations later, when the elder was not the literal grandfather, but the most competent leader of the eldest generation. The district of several villages and one big town was a tribe, around 1000 – 2000. Granted, at some point the designations stuck to the same group as it become much larger, so that a tribe might easily be over 100K. The terms were applied at the earliest point appropriate.
Compare this with the modern Western military infantry units. A platoon was maxed out at 50 (four squads of 11 each, plus support personnel and leaders) fully manned. A company was about 200 (three platoons plus), and a battalion neared 1000 (three maneuver companies, but other organic subunits, because many essential administrative and support functions are handled at the battalion level).
There is a reason for these breakpoints, and perceptive minds keep stumbling across them as the most effective breakpoints for handling large numbers of humans and keeping them organized for whatever purpose. Informal relations, a strong social bond of trust, with a single focus of leadership are possible up to the Dunbar Number. Beyond that requires greater formality with sub-leaders. As the size grows, the amount of specialization which necessitates adding support people rises exponentially. Small groups can handle everything internally and informally. Adding people to the same amount of space, or adding space to accommodate each successive level of size, both require adding extra bodies to maintain the minimal level of organization.
My blather about the tribal communal lifestyle isn’t totally blather.