The Horn of Africa was the birthest of the oldest states of Sub-Saharan Africa, but they are rarely known and rarely taken into account in general discussions on the origin of hierarchical societies and state formations. However, for three thousand years, the Horn witnessed the emergency, development and collapse of different state organisations, which often contradict our conceptions of what is a state. They have a lot in common with other African states, such as their heterarchic tendencies or the importance of material symbols, myths and ritual. This article looks at the different statuses that can be identified in the Horn of Africa from an archaeological perspective. A number of general features are noted, such as the fragmented and heterogeneous nature of its territory, porous borders, the persistence of non-assimilated communities within the state or the tendency to fission and collapse, which is linked to a permanent friction between centrifugal forces and centrifugal forces.