Photo: Early Chiefdoms Offer Clues to Modern Wealth, Power, Study Says

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This carved stone sarcophagus lid likely covered the remains of an important spiritual figure in an ancient chiefdom of the Alto Magdalena region in Columbia.

New research comparing chiefdoms around the globe shows that the organization and symbols of power in these chiefdoms varied greatly. The finding provides tantalizing insight into how and why certain social structures developed.

Photograph courtesy PNAS

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