Mohenjo-daro Study Shows Inequality Decreased as Ancient City Prospered

New archaeological research published in Antiquity reveals that Mohenjo-daro, one of South Asia's first cities built over 4,000 years ago in present-day Sindh Province, Pakistan, experienced decreasing inequality over time, challenging the assumption that urbanism inherently breeds wealth gaps. Led by Adam S. Green, a lecturer in sustainability at the University of York, the study used the Gini coefficient applied to house areas of all 309 excavated residences. The overall Gini coefficient for Mohenjo-daro was 0.44, far lower than other ancient cities like Knossos (0.86), Ur, and Ugarit (over 0.60). Notably, the earliest houses (circa 2500 BC) had a Gini of 0.39, which dropped to 0.23 in later phases, matching the equality of early farming villages. The research was conducted as part of the GINI Project, supported by the Coalition for Archaeological Synthesis, in collaboration with Cameron Petrie and Iqtedar Alam of the University of Cambridge. The city featured standardized brick ratios, public drainage, a street plan, and inclusive governance structures like the Pillared Hall, which may have facilitated democratic decision-making. As inequality declined, median house sizes increased, suggesting prosperity. The findings suggest that deliberate community rules, not accident, shaped equitable housing distribution.