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The earliest evidence for social inequality come from southern Mesopotamia and southern Egypt (i.e., Upper Egypt). The two cultures that seem to have characteristics of social inequality were the Mesopotamian Ubaid (6500-3800 BCE) and Egyptian Badarian (5000-4000 BCE) cultures.<ref>For information on the rise of the Ubaid culture, see: Carter, Robert A., Graham Philip, University of Chicago, and Grey College (University of Durham), eds. 2010. <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/188592366X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=188592366X&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=f0dff984f6f65f2f036b6738b8201ea3 Beyond the Ubaid: Transformation and Integration in the Late Prehistoric Societies of the Middle East]</i>. Studies in Ancient Oriental Civilization, no. 63. Chicago, Ill: Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago.</ref><ref>For more information on the Badarian culture, see: Shaw, Ian, ed. 2003. ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0192804588/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0192804588&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=ba5989033a645ff589d8c3e61a6eb8a1 The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt]''. New ed. Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press, pg. 39.</ref> During this time, many other cultures in the Near East had adopted agriculture and began to live in villages. What that indicates is that agriculture, by itself, is not a cause of social inequality. What that indicates is that agriculture, by itself, is not a cause of social inequality. However, one possible factor in social inequality becomes evident in cases of high population growth, which the Ubaid seems to characterize, as sites became larger on average.<ref>For more information on Ubaid and population size, see: Midlarsky, Manus I. 1999. ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0804741700/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0804741700&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=6ab884b4b9f118b19d621c49480698b8 The Evolution of Inequality: War, State Survival, and Democracy in Comparative Perspective]''. Stanford, Calif: Stanford Univ. Press.</ref> Nevertheless, this is not universally accepted, as some scholars suggest some high population societies did not have vast social inequality. The Ubaid itself did not show evidence of inequality until the later parts of the period.