Dr. Adrian Chase

     Social and economic inequality are important topics in modern politics, research, and public discourse; however, the existence of disparity between the haves and the have-nots is more than a modern phenomenon. Ancient societies were also faced with the social issues resulting from unequal wealth distributions. As such, the archaeological record provides data for long-durée understandings of inequality and social change. At the same time, interpretations of ancient wealth inequalities require a detailed consideration of the archaeological datasets; understanding the relational, embodied, and material forms of wealth; and operationalizing the distinctions between disparity and inequality. Combined archaeological and lidar data from Caracol, Belize can be used to investigate inequality, disparity, and wealth as well as provide insights into mechanisms used to reduce, hide, and manage inequality in ancient Maya society.