100 generations of wealth equality after the Neolithic transitions

From Rousseau onward, scholars have identified the transition to sedentary agriculture as crucial to the history of wealth inequality. Here, using the GINI project's global database on disparities in residential size, we examine the effects of important innovations in plant cultivation, animal husbandry, and traction on wealth inequality. Over a series of regional case studies, we find no evidence of major changes in residential disparity before or after these technological innovations became widespread, and where the effects of systemic change are recognizable, they are ambiguous. The introduction of horticulture/farming is accompanied by a slight general increase in inequality, while subsequent innovations tend to have a leveling effect. Although increasing productivity and surplus are critical to generating wealth inequality, nothing in our data suggests that rising productivity alone led to greater wealth inequality.

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Publication Details

Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Published
2025-04-14
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2400697122
Citations
4
Primary Topic
Historical Economic and Social Studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
12.52

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article

100 generations of wealth equality after the Neolithic transitions

Amy E. Thompson, Enrico R. Crema, Gary M. Feinman, Dan Lawrence et al.
4 citations
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Historical Economic and Social Studies
12.52
article

100 generations of wealth equality after the Neolithic transitions

Amy E. Thompson, Enrico R. Crema, Gary M. Feinman, Dan Lawrence, Detlef Gronenborn, Paul Roscoe, Cameron A. Petrie, Adam S. Green, Jennifer Birch, Timothy A. Kohler, Tim Kerig
article en
4 citations

Abstract

From Rousseau onward, scholars have identified the transition to sedentary agriculture as crucial to the history of wealth inequality. Here, using the GINI project's global database on disparities in residential size, we examine the effects of important innovations in plant cultivation, animal husbandry, and traction on wealth inequality. Over a series of regional case studies, we find no evidence of major changes in residential disparity before or after these technological innovations became widespread, and where the effects of systemic change are recognizable, they are ambiguous. The introduction of horticulture/farming is accompanied by a slight general increase in inequality, while subsequent innovations tend to have a leveling effect. Although increasing productivity and surplus are critical to generating wealth inequality, nothing in our data suggests that rising productivity alone led to greater wealth inequality.

Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesVol. 122(16)
Crow Canyon Archaeological Center (US), Santa Fe Institute (US), The King's College (US), University of Georgia (US), Durham University (GB), University of Cambridge (GB), Field Museum of Natural History (US), Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (DE), University of Illinois Chicago (US), Amt für Archäologie (CH), University of York (GB), Washington State University (US), University of Maine (US), The University of Texas at Austin (US), Leipzig University (DE)
National Science Foundation, Santa Fe Institute, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Openalex Percentile: Top 2%
Historical Economic and Social Studies
12.52
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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