Synopses & Reviews
Plants and animals originally domesticated in the Near East arrived in Europe between 7000 and 4000 BC. Was the new technology introduced by migrants, or was it an "inside job"? How were the new species adapted to European conditions? What were the immediate and long-term consequences of the transition from hunting and gathering to farming? These central questions in the prehistory of Europe are discussed here by leading specialists, drawing on the latest scholarship in fields as diverse as genetics and IndoEuropean linguistics.
Review
"[The authors] move towards a richly complex explanation that simply can no longre be explained as ex Orient lux (from east, the light). Well supplied with regional maps, lists of important radiocarbon dates, and a scattering of site plans and artifact illustrations, this is clearly a book for colleges, universities, and professionals, indeed a necessary addition to their libraries." Choice"Well supplied with regional maps, lists of important radiocarbon dates, and a scattering of site plans and artifact illustrations" Choice April 2001
Review
"this is an excellent example of an edited volume organized around a theme. Scholars interested in the origins of food-producing societies, as well as those interested more generally in Old World archaeology, should read this book." Canadian Journal of Archaeology"[The authors] move towards a richly complex explanation that simply can no longer be explained as ex Orient lux (from east, the light0. Well supplied with regional maps, lists of important radiocarbon dates, and a scattering of site plans and artifact illustrations, this is clearly a book for colleges, universities, and professionals, indeed a necessary addition to their libraries." Choice"Well supplied with regional maps, lists of important radiocarbon dates, and a scattering of site plans and artifact illustrations" Choice April 2001
Synopsis
A collection of essays, based on a symposium held at the SAA meeting at Minneapolis in 1995, discussing evidence for the transition from hunter-gathering to farming across Europe. Contents: Europe's first farmers (T Douglas Price); Southeastern Europe and the transition to agriculture in Europe (Ruth Tringham); Transition to agriculture in eastern Europe (Marek Zvelebil & Malcolm Lillie); Cardial pottery and the agricultural transition in Mediterranean Europe (William K Barnett); Mesolithic and Neolithic transition in southern France and northern Italy (Didier Binder); From the Mesolithic to the Neolithic in the Iberian peninsula (J Zilhao); Origins of agriculture in south-central Europe (Michael Jochim); How agriculture came to north-central Europe (Peter Bogucki); Transitions to farming in Ireland and Britain (Peter Woodman); Introduction of farming in northern Europe (T Douglas Price); Lessons in the transition to agriculture (T Douglas Price) .
Synopsis
The transition from hunting and gathering to farming is one of the most important issues in European prehistory. Who were the first farmers, and how was new farming technology introduced? Leading specialists debate these questions, drawing on the latest scholarship in fields as diverse as genetics and Indo-European linguistics.
Table of Contents
List of illustrations; List of tables; Preface; List of contributors; 1. Europe's first farmers: an introduction T. Douglas Price; 2. South-eastern Europe in the transition to agriculture in Europe: bridge, buffer or mosaic Ruth Tringham; 3. Transition to agriculture in eastern Europe Marek Zvelebil and Malcolm Lillie; 4. Cardial pottery and the agricultural transition in Mediterranean Europe William K. Barnett; 5. Mesolithic and Neolithic interaction in southern France and northern Italy: new data and current hypotheses Didier Binder; 6. From the Mesolithic to the Neolithic in the Iberian peninsula João Zilhão; 7. The origins of agriculture in south-central Europe Michael Jochim; 8. How agriculture came to north-central Europe Peter Bogucki; 9. Getting back to basics: transitions to farming in Ireland and Britain Peter Woodman; 10. The introduction of farming in northern Europe T. Douglas Price; 11. Lessons in the transition to agriculture T. Douglas Price; Bibliography; Index.