The spectrum and partition function of a nonuniform spin chain with lo
ng-range interactions are derived. The model consists of SU(n) spins p
ositioned at the equilibrium positions of a classical Calogero model a
nd interacting with an external magnetic field and through mutual exch
ange terms with strength inversely proportional to the square of their
distance. The energy levels are found to be equidistant and to have a
high degree of degeneracy, with several SU(n) multiplets grouping int
o the same energy eigenspace. The partition function takes the form of
a q-deformed polynomial. This leads to a description of the system in
terms of an effective parafermionic hamiltonian, and to a classificat
ion of the states in terms of ''modules'' consisting of base-n string
of integers.