New research shows land-hungry farming and scarce land drove wealth inequality over the past 10,000 years
A study led by Amy Bogaard, Professor of European Archaeology, School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, provides insight into the role of agriculture in wealth inequality in human societies.
“Past societies are often presumed to be egalitarian, but our research shows that high wealth inequality could become entrenched where ecological and political conditions permitted. The emergence of high wealth inequality wasn’t an inevitable result of farming… It emerged where land became a scarce resource that could be monopolised,” commented Professor Amy Bogaard, School of Archaeology.
Analysing 47,000 houses from 1700 archaeological settlements
The study is published as part of a Special Feature of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, co-edited by Professor Amy Bogaard and Tim Kohler (Washington State University), and involving 27 scientists from around the world who analysed around 47,000 houses from more than 1700 archaeological settlements.
Shadreck Chirikure and Helena Hamerow, two Oxford archaeologists, considered the implications for wealth distribution of variation in house sizes and their storage capacities within settlements and how land use and farming practices impacted this variation.
The research revealed that in regions with land-intensive farming systems, such as those with specialised animal traction for ploughing, wealth inequality became persistent, with only a few households controlling productive land. In regions without traction animals, land became highly valued through terracing, irrigation, or drainage. While such engineering projects could begin as cooperative endeavours, a minority of households often gained control of these landscapes.
High wealth inequality emerged in diverse world regions
The study shows how high wealth inequality emerged in diverse world regions. When land was put under pressure, for example, through local population growth, investments like terracing and irrigation or specialised plough animals boosted production. Still, it made land more valuable, fuelling competition. Over time, larger settlements developed as hubs of wider settlement hierarchies and were sustained through land-intensive farming systems.
The findings question whether high wealth inequality is inevitable and highlight the role of the localised consequences of expanding societies with a lack of political mechanisms to deal fairly with land constraints.
The researchers argued that some ancient societies, such as Teotihuacan in Mexico and Mohenjo-Daro in the Indus River Basin, practising land-intensive farming, could avoid extreme levels of wealth inequality through governance.
The study illustrated that wealth inequality has historically posed a challenge. However, governance and changes in farming practices could control high wealth inequality. Furthermore, the findings highlight the importance of studying past societies, which can provide valuable lessons for addressing inequality.
“High wealth inequality has been a challenge for thousands of years,” Bogaard said. “Understanding how wealth inequality has changed over the very long term enables us to understand the role of land-use systems that promoted competition. The past offers us lessons to navigate these pressing issues today. The good news is that societies can and have resisted the extremes of high inequality through governance.”
“Shifts in farming practice and wealth inequality are woven through global prehistory. By studying these changes, we can better address their implications for the future. If we can understand how inequality emerged and evolved, we are in a better position to mitigate its extremes and harmful impacts today.”
