The Dispersal of the Neolithic over the Arabian Peninsula

Description

The general research question followed during the course of this study can be summarized as: Does the Neolithic in Arabia originate in the Levant? To approach this question, several facets of this topic have been investigated. The first aspect considered is the most fundamental one with respect to the general research question: What is the archaeological material evidence for the Neolithic dispersal over Arabia, and where did it originate? If one accepts the Levantine origin for the Arabian Neolithic, the next question which has to be answered is: How did it happen? Here, two opposing, general, explanatory concepts are provided in the archaeological, social and geographic sciences. The third focus of this study investigates the Neolithic dispersal over Arabia as a spatial process: What are the most advantageous routes the Levantine Neolithic herders could have taken during the dispersal? The structure of this book follows the research agenda as outlined: Chapter 1 describes the history of research in Arabia. Chapter 2 discusses the conceptual model which was developed to consider the Neolithic dispersal from the Levant as a spatial process. Chapter 3 provides details about the dispersal simulations performed with respect to the environmental situation on the Arabian Peninsula. Chapter 4 traces the dispersal routes suggested by the simulations by archaeological evidence. The concluding chapter 5 summarizes and compares the separate results of the study. Drechsler_BAR_090602_600dpi_part1.pdf 1_BAR_Summary.pdf 2_BAR_Acknowledgments.pdf 3_BAR_ToC.pdf 4_BAR_Introduction.pdf 5_BAR_Chapter1.pdf 6_BAR_Chapter2.pdf 7_BAR_Chapter3.pdf 8_BAR_Chapter4.pdf 9_BAR_Chapter5.pdf 10_BAR_Appendix1.pdf 11_BAR_References.pdf Drechsler_BAR_090602_600dpi_part2.pdf 1_BAR_Summary.pdf 2_BAR_Acknowledgments.pdf 3_BAR_ToC.pdf 4_BAR_Introduction.pdf 5_BAR_Chapter1.pdf 6_BAR_Chapter2.pdf 7_BAR_Chapter3.pdf 8_BAR_Chapter4.pdf 9_BAR_Chapter5.pdf 10_BAR_Appendix1.pdf 11_BAR_References.pdf Front Cover Title Page Copyright Dedication SUMMARY ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1. ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL BACKGROUND CHAPTER 2. THE DISPERSAL OF THE NEOLITHIC - MODELS AND SIMULATIONS CHAPTER 3. SIMULATING PATHWAYS OF DISPERSAL OVER ARABIA CHAPTER 4. TRACING THE DISPERSAL ROUTES USING THE EVIDENCE FROM ARCHAEOLOGICAL REMAINS CHAPTER 5. BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER - COMPARISONS BETWEEN SIMULATIONS AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE APPENDIX 1 REFERENCES