Social Stratification in Neolithic Europe

(March 19, 2025) Wealth disparities (Gini coefficient) for Eurasia, North America, and Mesoamerica with Central European Neolithic sites marked with a light color (modified after Kohler et al. 2017). The Neolithic sites generally remained egalitarian despite the rise of trade and resulting chiefdoms to protect that trade. The Indo-Europeans settled in Europe between 3500 and 2500 BCE.

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(March 19, 2025) At first, Middle Neolithic societies do not show any movement towards a more hierarchical structure but from the mid 4,000's onwards  enormous accumulations of surpluses occur on both coast of Europe, both in the Carnac region in Brittany. In the east (Balkans) this seems to be associated with copper axe production and trade while in the west it is associated with Jade axe production and trade. (map from Pétrequin 2017a; Pétrequin et al. 2017c).

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(March 19, 2025) Wonderful illustration comparing fluctuating populations with burial customs in central Europe. The population fluctuations are likely due to major droughts and the resulting social stresses. The Neolithic farmers tended to use communal cave-like barrows for their burials after initially using single burials. The Indo-Europeans introduced the rounded burial mounds. The Early, Middle, Young, and Late Neolithic also have slightly different material culture. The Indo-Europeans settled in Europe between 3500 and 2500 BCE defining the Late Neolithic.

ENL – Early Neolithic, MNL – Middle Neolithic, YNL – Young Neolithic, LNL – Late Neolithic (yellow line represents summed probability distribution of 14C-dates) 

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