A theoretical, inequality-based model of cultural change culminating in the emergence of Biskupin-type fortified settlements

Early Iron Age (EIA) Biskupin-type fortified settlements are viewed as unique examples of high-density urbanism (HDU) with limited (if any) evidence of social inequality. This argument is supported by two lines of evidence: uniform house sizes and small-scale differences in burial rites of the associated Early Iron Age Lusatian Urnfield culture. These two observations are rooted in rudimentary archaeological empiricism, highlighting the pitfalls of induction-based inference for identifying social phenomena and essentialist notions in studies of social inequality, thereby overlooking the dynamics of social processes. This paper will review the state of research on Biskupin-type fortified settlements to discuss how an inequality framework can help conceptualise their emergence, florescence, and decline. Finally, I apply this framework to develop a qualitative, theoretical model of the trajectory of social changes that results in the emergence of these sites.