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The Agricultural Revolution in Prehistory:

Why did Foragers become Farmers?

by Graeme Barker (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Displaying a breathtaking mastery of a vast array of evidence, presented objectively and accurately, Graeme Barker has performed a great service in putting together this global overview of one of archaeology’s great questions.”–Paul G. Bahn, Times Literary Supplement

“Ideally suited to undergraduates and readers from other disciplines seeking an introduction to this key topic.”–British Archaeology

Product Description

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:

Why did Foragers become Farmers?

by Graeme Barker (Author)

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

List of Figures     x
List of Tables     xv
Abbreviations     xvi
Approaches to the Origins of Agriculture 1
Understanding Foragers     42
Identifying Foragers and Farmers     73
The ‘Hearth of Domestication’? Transitions to Farming in South-West Asia     104
Central and South Asia: the Wheat/Rice Frontier 149
Rice and Forest Farming in East and South-East Asia     182
Weed, Tuber, and Maize Farming in the Americas     231
Africa: Afro-Asiatic Pastoralists and Bantu Farmers?     273
Transitions to Farming in Europe: Ex Oriente Lux?     325
The Agricultural Revolution in Prehistory: Why did Foragers become Farmers? 382
References     415