[Special Issue News] The Science of Inequality: The ancient roots of the 1%

Researchers long blamed farming for the rise of inequality. They hypothesized that agriculture led to the production of surpluses and elites who controlled those surpluses. Now, archaeological and ethnographic analyses suggest that some ancient hunter-gatherers may have accumulated wealth by taking control of concentrated patches of wild foods. In this view, it is the ownership of small, resource-rich areas—rather than farming itself—that fosters inequality.
Author: Heather Pringle

Source: Science: This Week - May 23, 2014 Category: Science Authors: Heather Pringle Tags: The Science of Inequality Source Type: research