Toward multiscalar measures of inequality in archaeology
Crema, Enrico R. (University of Cambridge. Department of Archaeology)
Fochesato, Mattia (Bocconi University. Department of Social and Political Science)
Mejía Ramón, Andrés (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Munson, Jessica (Lycoming College. Department of Anthropology-Sociology)
Ortman, Scott (University of Colorado. Department of Anthropology)

Date:	2025
Abstract:	The Gini coefficient is a statistical measure commonly used to characterize distributions of socioeconomic quantities. Archaeologists and social scientists have recently adopted this method to analyze ancient inequality by targeting specific proxy variables (e. g. , residential unit size, burial data, etc. ). Variations in the Gini are then examined in relation to key factors such as time, geography, and subsistence. Yet, Gini coefficients could be obtained across different scales of aggregation, from small neighborhoods within a larger settlement to an ensemble of multiple settlements that are part of the same polity. These different scales of aggregation represent considerable methodological and theoretical challenges, as larger scales might, for example, imply greater social and economic variation within groups and thus affect the Gini coefficients. Furthermore, these issues can also be exacerbated by the idiosyncrasies and limitations of historical and archaeological datasets. This paper discusses the potential and challenges of measuring Gini coefficients at and above the scale of individual archaeological sites, contrasting different approaches and discussing how each can reveal insights into different patterns of past wealth inequality, addressing methodological, empirical, and theoretical implications arising from the multiscalar nature of human interactions. Copyright © 2025 the Author(s).
Note:	Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-M
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Gini coefficient ; Sampling ; Scale ; Reduced Inequalities
Published in:	Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Vol. 122, issue 16 (2025) , art. e2400700121, ISSN 1091-6490

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2400700121
PMID: 40228112

8 p, 1.7 MB

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