Archaeology supports proposed redefinition of egalitarianism.

Authors

Timothy A Kohler

Published in

The Behavioral and brain sciences. Volume 49. Pages e436. Oct 02, 2026. Epub Oct 02, 2026.

Abstract

Influenced by reports from eastern North America, early Enlightenment thinkers portrayed hunter-gatherers as largely egalitarian. Subsequent observations, anthropological research, and archaeological evidence since the 1970s documented notable inequalities of power, wealth, and rank in some hunter-gatherer societies. Recent global archaeological analyses link increasing inequality to population growth, fuelling increases in group size, growing constraints on land and resources, and thus on individual autonomy.

PMID:
42825715
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 02 Oct 2026.

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