Was the rise of social hierarchy an inevitable result of farming?
In short: Archaeologist David Wengrow challenges the long-held belief that human history followed a simple path from egalitarian hunter-gatherers to complex, hierarchical civilizations driven by agriculture and wealth accumulation.
During this presentation, University College London professor of comparative archaeology David Wengrow disputes conventional theories regarding social evolution. The traditional view suggests that the transition to agriculture and livestock domestication naturally created the wealth accumulation that fueled class systems and cities.
Drawing on research featured in his book, The Dawn of Everything, co-authored with anthropologist David Graeber, Wengrow argues that these historical transitions may not have been the direct or inevitable cause of social inequality as commonly assumed.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: A New Understanding of Human History and the Roots of Inequality | David Wengrow | TED
- Also: David Wengrow: “We need to dismantle the myths surrounding the origins of our social order”
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