How Neolithic farming sowed the seeds of modern inequality 10,000 years ago
Written by James Suzman
The prehistoric shift towards cultivation began our preoccupation with hierarchy and growth – and even changed how we perceive the passage of time
Most people regard hierarchy in human societies as inevitable, a natural part of who we are. Yet this belief contradicts much of the 200,000-year history of Homo sapiens.
In fact, our ancestors have for the most part been “fiercely egalitarian”, intolerant of any form of inequality. While hunter-gatherers accepted that people had different skills, abilities and attributes, they aggressively rejected efforts to institutionalise them into any form of hierarchy.
Related: Why 'Bushman banter' was crucial to hunter-gatherers' evolutionary success
Farming-based societies created economies of hope and aspiration, in which we focus almost unerringly on the future
Related: The Inequality Project: the Guardian's in-depth look at our unequal world
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