An appraisal of social inequalities in Central Iberia (c. 5300-1600 CAL BC)

Abstract

The present paper is an overview of the available evidence for socioeconomic and political inequalities in Central Iberia, from the Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age. It focuses on mortuary practices, labour investments, craft production and settlement organization, disentangling the keys of prehistoric political economy. Following the evidence, I argue that the existence of permanent social inequalities would have been limited by three factors: a limited amount of surplus, the failure of small scale groups to increase the amount of labour force, and most important of all, the absolute absence of means of accumulation of value.