The Complex Evolution of Simple Systems

The simplicity and extreme ages of globular clusters and dwarf galaxies imply that these systems may be useful windows to the earliest era of galaxy formation. Recent discoveries of local dwarfs have, in some ways, begun to blur the distinctions between the two types of systems. However, it remains clear that the two types of systems arose from fundamentally different conditions in the early Universe. Globular clusters result from ‘intense’ (what is often referred to as ‘efficient’) star formation processes, possibly related to major merging, while dwarf galaxies represent regions of much more ‘sedate’ (low efficiency) star formation, possibly independent of significant contributions from merging. I review spatial, kinematic and chemical results that support this interpretation.