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How a 4,000-year-old city defied history's 'rules' by becoming more equal as it became more successful
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-year-city-defied-history-equal.htmlSamantha Martin, University of York
A view of DK-G South, facing north-west, from December 2023, highlighting the complexity of the standing architecture at Mohenjo-daro. Credit: Adam S. Green/Antiquity (2026). DOI: 10.15184/aqy.2026.10359
For decades, historians have generally agreed that the progress of small villages as they evolved into cities came at the price of widening inequality. A small group of leaders, kings and priests, would inevitably seize control of the wealth and the gap between rich and poor would grow.
But a new study at the University of York delves into the archaeology of the 4,000-year-old Mohenjo-daro, the Indus civilization's largest city, and shows the opposite was true. By analyzing house sizes across the ancient city, researchers found that Mohenjo-daro was not only more equal than its neighbors in Mesopotamia and Greece, but it actually became more egalitarian over time.
Entirely different
The lead author, Dr. Adam Green from the University of York's Department of Archaeology and Department of Environment and Geography, said, "Legacy data from the ancient city shows that as the city matured, the gap between the largest and smallest homes narrowed. In fact, by its later years, the wealth gap in this massive urban center had dropped to levels typical of the first farming villages.
"While ancient Egyptians were building pyramids for god-kings, and the Greeks were constructing massive palaces at Knossos, the people of the Indus were building something entirely different.
"Instead of gold-filled tombs and huge temples, Mohenjo-daro focused on sophisticated brick-lined drains and organized street layouts. Instead of allowing the perks of society to accumulate with a tiny elite, the city's amenities were widely distributed among the everyday households."
. . .
But a new study at the University of York delves into the archaeology of the 4,000-year-old Mohenjo-daro, the Indus civilization's largest city, and shows the opposite was true. By analyzing house sizes across the ancient city, researchers found that Mohenjo-daro was not only more equal than its neighbors in Mesopotamia and Greece, but it actually became more egalitarian over time.
Entirely different
The lead author, Dr. Adam Green from the University of York's Department of Archaeology and Department of Environment and Geography, said, "Legacy data from the ancient city shows that as the city matured, the gap between the largest and smallest homes narrowed. In fact, by its later years, the wealth gap in this massive urban center had dropped to levels typical of the first farming villages.
"While ancient Egyptians were building pyramids for god-kings, and the Greeks were constructing massive palaces at Knossos, the people of the Indus were building something entirely different.
"Instead of gold-filled tombs and huge temples, Mohenjo-daro focused on sophisticated brick-lined drains and organized street layouts. Instead of allowing the perks of society to accumulate with a tiny elite, the city's amenities were widely distributed among the everyday households."
. . .