Super-rich shown to have grown out of ancient farming

The world's wealthy elite has its origins in the first landowners to use oxen and horses, a global study has found

Scientists have traced the rise of the super-rich deep into our historical past to uncover the ancient source of social inequality. Their conclusion? Thousands of years ago, it was the use of large farm animals - horses and oxen that could pull ploughs - which created the equivalent of our multi-billionaire entrepreneurs today.

The research, published in Nature, is the first attempt to assess how significant wealth gaps arose among our ancestors. These began when farming first established the idea of land ownership - although only mild disparities resulted from the sowing and reaping of crops.