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Admin moved page Where did Social Inequality Develop in the Ancient World? to When did Social Inequality Develop in the Ancient World
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[[File:Руины_Эриду.jpg|thumbnail|275px|left|Eridu - Center of Ubaid Civilization]]
Social inequality has been pervasive throughout the world for the last several hundred years. This inequality has increased over the last few decades.<ref>For more information on modern social inequality, see: Dorling, Danny. 2015. ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1447320751/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1447320751&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=2d636b7b061a21eac41baf584144d330 <i>Injustice: Why Social Inequality Still Persists</i>]''. Revised ed. Bristol: Policy Press.</ref> Although some form of inequality exists in nearly every society type, where did inequality become more apparent? Given this, how did we get to this point and where are the origins of social inequality? Is social inequality is a natural consequence of agricultural development and urbanization or perhaps is it a result of other factors?
==Origins==
The earliest evidence for social inequality come from southern Mesopotamia and southern Egypt (i.e., Upper Egypt). The two cultures that seem to have characteristics of social inequality were the Mesopotamian Ubaid (6500-3800 BCE) and Egyptian Badarian (5000-4000 BCE) cultures.<ref>For information on the rise of the Ubaid culture, see: Carter, Robert A., Graham Philip, University of Chicago, and Grey College (University of Durham), eds. 2010. <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/188592366X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=188592366X&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=f0dff984f6f65f2f036b6738b8201ea3 Beyond the Ubaid: Transformation and Integration in the Late Prehistoric Societies of the Middle East]</i>. Studies in Ancient Oriental Civilization, no. 63. Chicago, Ill: Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago.</ref><ref>For more information on the Badarian culture, see: Shaw, Ian, ed. 2003. ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0192804588/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0192804588&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=ba5989033a645ff589d8c3e61a6eb8a1 The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt]''. New ed. Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press, pg. 39.</ref> During this time, many other cultures in the Near East had adopted agriculture and began to live in villages. What that indicates is that agriculture, by itself, is not a cause of social inequality. What that indicates is that agriculture, by itself, is not a cause of social inequality. However, one possible factor in social inequality becomes evident in cases of high population growth, which the Ubaid seems to characterize, as sites became larger on average.<ref>For more information on Ubaid and population size, see: Midlarsky, Manus I. 1999. ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0804741700/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0804741700&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=6ab884b4b9f118b19d621c49480698b8 The Evolution of Inequality: War, State Survival, and Democracy in Comparative Perspective]''. Stanford, Calif: Stanford Univ. Press.</ref> Nevertheless, this is not universally accepted, as some scholars suggest some high population societies did not have vast social inequality. The Ubaid itself did not show evidence of inequality until the later parts of the period.
==Ubaid==
[[File:Map_Ubaid_culture-en.svg.png|thumbnail|left|Figure 1. Distribution of the Ubaid culture in the 6th and 5th millennium BCE ]]
What this suggests is that there might not be a clear reason as to why humans begin to have large-scale social inequality. Whatever the reason may have been, the evidence for social inequality is evident by the 6-5th millennium BCE. Perhaps some of the clearest evidence for this in the Ubaid culture (Figure 1) comes from the development of religious institutions. Here, we begin to see large temples, specifically at the site of Eridu in southern Mesopotamia, gaining much greater levels of wealth and resources, not to mention its architectural size increases substantially from previous periods, than other institutions or individuals in society.<ref>For evidence of religious structures, and likely institutions, gaining greater power and authority in the Ubaid, see: Stein, Gil. 1994. “Economy, Ritual, and Power in Ubaid Mesopotamia". In: ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1881094073/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1881094073&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=eb271794cbdee215189ec9eaa744b8cf Chiefdoms and Early States in the Near East: The Organizational Dynamics of Complexity]'', edited by Gil Stein and Mitchell Rothman. Madison (WI), pg. 35-46.</ref> Larger structures, perhaps administrative buildings, also begin to emerge in settlements, such as at Tell Abada, that are also separated from other parts of settlements, showing that these individuals or institutions began to be separated from others. This physical separation, distinct through walls and also much larger structures within the walls, becomes a hallmark in Mesopotamian societies even in later periods.<ref>For further information about Tell Abada, see: Jasim, Sabah Abboud, and Joan Oates. 1986. “Early Tokens and Tablets in Mesopotamia: New Information from Tell Abada and Tell Brak.” ''World Archaeology'' 17 (3): 348–62. doi:10.1080/00438243.1986.9979975.</ref>
Structures that begin to show differences in size and distinctive differences also begin to have greater evidence for administration. This is noticeable through objects such as seals and sealings, which likely indicates these large structures began to accumulate more goods, which required a form of control and organization utilizing seals. Large institutions, at least by the next period (called the Uruk; 4000-3100 BC), became one of the main employers of labor, suggesting that the accumulation of resources in larger administrative structures further accelerated social inequality where wealth was flowing to these elites, utilizing their wealth to employ other individuals.<ref>For information on the Uruk, see: Rothman, Mitchell S., ed. 2001. ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1930618034/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1930618034&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=08eaeaa794d0351a708a72c8f470536e Uruk Mesopotamia & Its Neighbors: Cross-Cultural Interactions in the Era of State Formation]''. 1st ed. School of American Research Advanced Seminar Series. Sante Fe, NM: School of American Research Press.</ref> In addition, as warfare became established in society, slavery soon appeared. Slavery may have also developed as a form of punishment for debt.
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==Badarian Culture==
[[File:112307-BritishMuseum-Badari.jpg|thumbnail|180px|left|Figure 2. An object found in a Badarian grave, which can be used to distinguish differences between graves and burial goods]]While the Ubaid was developing into a society where inequality emerged, in Egypt during the late 5th millennium BC levels of social inequality are also evident. However, unlike southern Mesopotamia, here we see inequality emerging based on how individuals were buried. Settlements in the Badarian culture are largely unknown; therefore, graves are used as indicators of wealth and status individuals have (Figure 2).<ref>For information on Badarian culture graves in Upper Egypt, see: Lloyd, Alan B. 2014. ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0199286191/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0199286191&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=3232ebc8efd2bef729de00020670aa73 Ancient Egypt: State and Society]''. First edition. New York: Oxford University Press, pg. 36.</ref> From this, it is clear that some graves showed large differences in wealth access and presumably status. Some graves begin to have ivory combs and other precious objects buried in them, while other graves show more simple finds or few finds. Grave sizes also begin to get bigger for a restricted number of individuals, suggesting these individuals had more access to resources during their lifespan. Individuals with wealthier graves also seem to be buried separately from other individuals, suggesting members of society began to have different levels of status attributed to them.
Similar to the Ubaid and Uruk cultures, the Naqada culture (4400-3000 BC) succeeds the Badarian culture and social stratification appears to accelerate where differences in grave sizes and richer graves are evident some graves.<ref>For information on the Naqada culture, see: Bard, Kathryn A. 2007. ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470673362/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0470673362&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=1522f68fcf886bb81282e8cff7310414 Introduction to the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt]''. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub.</ref> It is also in this period that writing first develops in Egypt, where individuals of high status appear to have written symbols or tags associated with their graves, perhaps serving as personal name indicators or status symbols.
