Spatial Organization and Socio-Economic Differentiation at the Dhar Tichitt Center of Dakhlet el Atrouss I (Southeastern Mauritania)

Abstract The emergence of socio-political differentiation is a core theme in world prehistory, and the West African archaeological record offers unique insights into range pathways towards increasing complexity origins socio-economic inequalities. During second half millennium BC, Tichitt-Oualata escarpments southeastern Mauritania witnessed development societies with monumental funerary architecture substantial drystone settlements that relied on an agropastoral economy based primarily pearl millet ( Pennisetum sp.) cultivation livestock-raising. Previous spatial analyses site size have shown Dhar Tichitt landscape exhibited multi-tiered settlement hierarchy, Dakhlet el Atrouss I (80 ha) as main regional center, almost 600 compounds forming intricate layout hundreds tumuli vicinity site. limited presence imported prestige goods, however, has sparked considerable controversy regarding community inhabiting aim this article to understand whether remote sensing can inform us about extent at I, largest ascribed Tradition. On basis relevant ethnographies exploring dynamics household wealth economies, explore degree compound variation neighborhood levels using well-established econometric methods increasingly feature studies inequality complexity. This paper represents first application Lorenz Curves Gini Coefficients prehistory illustrates I.