The Agricultural Revolution in Prehistory : Why Did Foragers Become Farmers?

The Agricultural Revolution in Prehistory addresses one of the most debated and least understood revolutions in the history of our species, the change from hunting and gathering to farming. Graeme Barker takes a global view, and integrates a massive array of information from archaeology and many other disciplines, including anthropology, botany, climatology, genetics, linguistics, and zoology. Against current orthodoxy, Barker develops a strong case for the development of agricultural systems in many areas as transformations in the life-ways of the indigenous forager societies, and argues that these were as much changes in social norms and ideologies as in ways of obtaining food. With a large number of helpful line drawings and photographs as well as a comprehensive bibliography, this authoritative study will appeal to a wide general readership as well as to specialists in a variety of fields. "The Agricultural Revolution in Prehistory addresses one of the most debated and least understood revolutions in the history of our species - the change from foraging (hunting and gathering) to farming. Ten thousand years ago there were few if any communities whom we can properly call farmers; five thousand years later, large numbers of the world's population were farmers, using a wide variety of crops and animals in different combinations in different regions. The possible reasons for the transition have long been one of the most controversial topics in archaeology, and continue to be so." "Graeme Barker integrates a massive array of information from archaeology (including archaeological approaches right across the humanities and science spectrum), together with many other disciplines including anthropology, botany, climatology, genetics, linguistics, and zoology. Against current orthodoxy, he develops a strong case for the parallel development of geographically specific agricultural systems in many areas of the world, transformations in the lifeways of forager societies that in some cases have origins reaching much further back in time that commonly suggested. Barker argues that the change from foraging to farming was as much about foragers developing new ways of thinking about their relationship to the world they inhabited as about new ways of obtaining food. The Agricultural Revolution in Prehistory is clearly written, without jargon, and includes a large number of helpful line drawings and photographs as well as a comprehensive bibliography. It will be essential reading for all students of archaeology, as well as specialists in the various fields, and it is also intended for the interested general reader."--BOOK JACKET This book addresses one of the most debated and least understood revolutions in the history of our species, the change from foraging (hunting and gathering) to farming. Ten thousand years ago there were few if any communities whom we can properly call farmers; five thousand years later, large numbers of the world's population were farmers, using a wide variety of crops and animals in different combinations in different regions. The possible reasons for the transition have long been one of the most controversial topics in archaeology, and continue to be so. The author integrates a massive array of information from archaeology (including archaeological approaches right across the humanities and science spectrum), together with many other disciplines including anthropology, botany, climatology, genetics, linguistics, and zoology. Against current orthodoxy, he develops a strong case for the parallel development of geographically specific agricultural systems in many areas of the world, transformations in the lifeways of forager societies that in some cases have origins reaching much further back in time that commonly suggested. He argues that the change from foraging to farming was as much about foragers developing new ways of thinking about their relationship to the world they inhabited as about new ways of obtaining food MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict Contents 10 List of Figures 11 List of Tables 16 Abbreviations 17 1. Approaches to the Origins of Agriculture 18 2. Understanding Foragers 59 3. Identifying Foragers and Farmers 90 4. The 'Hearth of Domestication'? Transitions to Farming in South-West Asia 121 5. Central and South Asia: the Wheat/Rice Frontier 166 6. Rice and Forest Farming in East and South-East Asia 199 7. Weed, Tuber, and Maize Farming in the Americas 248 8. Africa: Afro-Asiatic Pastoralists and Bantu Farmers? 290 9. Transitions to Farming in Europe: Ex Oriente Lux? 342 10. The Agricultural Revolution in Prehistory: Why did Foragers become Farmers? 399 References 432 Index 544 A 544 B 548 C 553 D 560 E 563 F 566 G 570 H 573 I 576 J 578 K 579 L 580 M 583 N 587 O 590 P 591 Q 597 R 597 S 599 T 607 U 611 V 611 W 612 X 614 Y 614 Z 614 Addressing one of the most debated revolutions in the history of our species, the change from hunting and gathering to farming, this title takes a global view, and integrates an array of information from archaeology and many other disciplines, including anthropology, botany, climatology, genetics, linguistics, and zoology Humans have occupied our planet for several million years, but for almost all of that period they have lived as foragers, by various combinations of gathering, collecting, scavenging, fishing, and hunting.