The Emergence of Agriculture

Description

Archaeologists have come to recognize that agriculture didn't just emerge in one or two places, but was independently invented several times over. In The Emergence of Agriculture, well-known archaeologist Bruce Smith charts the course of the agricultural revolution as it occurred in the Middle East, Europe, China, Africa, and the Americas -- revealing how truly varied the patterns of animal and plant domestication were in different parts of the worldExploring how basic archaeological methods and modern technologies such as plant analysis, radiocarbon dating, and DNA sampling are used to investigate the origins of agriculture, The Emergence of Agriculture offers an intriguing and original account of one of the most important events in human history. Preface ix 1 In Search of Origins / 2 Creating New Plants and Animals 15 3 New Technology and the Search for Agricultural Origins 35 4 The Fertile Crescent 49 5 Europe and Africa 91 6 East Asia 115 7 Middle and South America 145 8 Eastern North America and the Southwest 183 Epilogue: The Search for Explanations 207 Further Readings 215 Sources of Illustrations 219 Index 225