This paper investigates inequality in relational wealth within the upper societal segment of prehistoric Central Europe (first four millennia BCE). Using a novel dataset of 5000 single-funeral burial mounds and their volume as a proxy for relational wealth, the analysis reveals consistently high inequality, exhibiting a wave-like pattern with an increasing trend over time. Temporal shifts in the size of the upper societal segment are also observed. These changes are potentially explained by technological progress, climate and population dynamics, trade networks, and sociopolitical transformations.

Johannes Marzian, Julian Laabs, Johannes Müller, Tilman Requate