The Tropical Turn : Agricultural Innovation in the Ancient Middle East and the Mediterranean

From rice and cotton to citruses and cucumbers, this book chronicles the earliest histories of familiar tropical Asian crops in the ancient Middle East and the Mediterranean. Drawing on archaeological materials and textual sources in over seven ancient languages, __The Tropical Turn__ unravels the breathtaking anthropogenic peregrinations of these familiar crops from their homelands in tropical and sub-tropical Asia to the Middle East and the Mediterranean, showing the significant impact South Asia had on the ecologies, dietary habits, and cultural identities of peoples across the ancient world. In the process, Sureshkumar Muthukumaran offers a fresh narrative history of human connectivity across Afro-Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the late centuries BCE. "From rice and cotton to citruses and cucumbers, this book chronicles the earliest histories of familiar tropical Asian crops in the ancient Middle East and the Mediterranean. Drawing on archaeological materials and textual sources in over seven ancient languages, The Tropical Turn unravels the breathtaking anthropogenic peregrinations of these familiar crops from their homelands in tropical and sub-tropical Asia to the Middle East and the Mediterranean, showing the significant impact South Asia had on the ecologies, dietary habits, and cultural identities of peoples across the ancient world. In the process, Sureshkumar Muthukumaran offers a fresh narrative history of human connectivity across Afro-Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the late centuries BCE"-- Provided by publisher This book chronicles the earliest histories of familiar tropical Asian crops in the ancient Middle East and the Mediterranean, from rice and cotton to citruses and cucumbers. Drawing on archaeological materials and textual sources in over seven ancient languages, The Tropical Turn unravels the breathtaking anthropogenic peregrinations of these familiar crops from their homelands in tropical and subtropical Asia to the Middle East and the Mediterranean, showing the significant impact South Asia had on the ecologies, dietary habits, and cultural identities of peoples across the ancient world. In the process, Sureshkumar Muthukumaran offers a fresh narrative history of human connectivity across Afro-Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the late centuries BCE. Contents Illustrations Preface and Acknowledgments Abbreviations Introduction 1 The Historical Context 2 Wool from Trees: Cotton 3 The Golden Grain: Asiatic Rice 4 Persian “Apples”: Citruses 5 Familiar but Foreign: Eastern Cucurbits 6 The Egyptian Bean: The Sacred Lotus 7 A Forgotten Tuber: Taro 8 Timber for God and King: Sissoo 9 How to Turn Tropical References Index