Graeme Barker

Why did Foragers become Farmers?

The Agricultural Revolution in Prehistory

The desert margins of North Africa are extremely rich in archaeological ruins of the Roman period, evidence of dense settlement 2,000 years ago in what are now arid and hostile environments. Historians, geographers and archaeologists have long debated the significance of these sites, explaining the 'Greening of the Desert' variously in terms of environmental change, colonization, external market forces or combinations of factors. The debate so far has been characterized by the lack of scientific data from any one region concerning, on the one hand, the nature of settlement, society and land-use and, on the other, the contemporary climate and environment; this has made it impossible to compare rigorously the strengths and weaknesses of the alternative theories. The two volumes of Farming the Desert present the results of the alternative approach taken by the UNESCO Libyan Valleys Archaeological Survey: a detailed inter-disciplinary study by archaeologists, geographers and historians of a single region, i.e. the basins of the Wadis Sofeggin and ZemZem in Tripolitania, northwest Libya. The project's methodologies for studying the archaeology of arid-zone agriculture have been recognized internationally, and the results of their application to the study area have transformed our understanding of how the desert margins of North Africa were farmed in antiquity, with important implications for modern agricultural planning. 'A particular triumph. It marshals a wide variety of skills and techniques, transforms our understanding of ancient pre-desert farming, and is as vital a contribution to modern needs as it is to scholarship.' (Tim Potter, British Museum)

The UNESCO Libyan Valleys Archaeological Survey

Farming the Desert

John A. Lloyd

A survey of archaeological evidence for agrarian practices around the Mediterranean, based on a 1988 conference at the British School at Rome. Topics covered: Methods and Problems (3 papers); Romanization of the Countryside (Gualdalquivir, Middle Ebro Valley, coastal Catalonia, Sardinia, Dalmatia); Towns and Territories (Ager Tarraconensis, Bologna, Tuscania, Crete, Greece); Lowland Agrarian Structures (Catalonia, N Etruria, Ager Falernus, Piacenza, Basse-Provence); Uplands (Samnium and Arcadia, W Lucania, Basilicata, W Apulia, Methana, Greece); Conclusions. This is the first (to appear) in a new series of A4 monographs of the British School at Rome. 240p with figs. (BSR, Archaeological Monograph 2, 1991) Pb

Archaeological Survey in the Mediterranean Region

Roman Landscapes

Drawing upon his own extensive knowledge of European archaeology, Graeme Barker has impressively integrated the full range of archaeological data to produce in this book a masterly account of prehistoric farming in Europe on a unique scale. He makes use of modern archaeological techniques to reconstruct the lives of prehistoric farmers in remarkable detail. Not only do we now have a vivid picture of the prehistoric farmyard, but we know what animals were kept, how they were fed and why they were bred. Evidence for crops grown and techniques of cultivation and husbandry helps recreate the prehistoric landscape. Even the social organisation that determined the use of resources, and provided the crucial stimulus for agricultural change, can be relived. Graeme Barker develops his argument through analogies with the agricultural history of classical and medieval Europe and concludes that today's industrial farmers can learn much from the successes and failures of early European farming.

Prehistoric Farming in Europe

Tom Rasmussen

The Etruscans were the creators of one of the most highly developed cultures of the pre-Roman Mediterranean.

The Etruscans

The Canadian Excavations in the Iron Age and Roman Sites, 1971-1972

Monte Irsi, Southern Italy

David Gilbertson

Many dryland regions contain archaeological remains which suggest that there must have been intensive phases of settlement in what now seem to be dry and degraded environments. This book discusses successes and failures of past land use and settlement in drylands, and contributes to wider debates about desertification and the sustainability of dryland settlement.

Living at the Margin

The Archaeology of Drylands

This comprehensive, fully illustrated Companion answers the need for an in-depth archaeology reference that provides authoritative coverage of this complex and interdisciplinary field. The work brings together the myriad strands and the great temporal and spatial breadth of the field into two thematically organized volumes. In twenty-six authoritative and clearly-written essays, this Companion explores the origins, aims, methods and problems of archaeology. Each essay is written by a scholar of international standing and illustrations complement the text.

Companion Encyclopedia of Archaeology

Addressing one of the most debated revolutions in the history of our species, the change from hunting and gathering to farming, this title takes a global view, and integrates an array of information from archaeology and many other disciplines, including anthropology, botany, climatology, genetics, linguistics, and zoology.

Why Did Foragers Become Farmers?

Annie Grant

The 26 articles in this new Companion Encyclopedia provide an invaluable compendium of the themes, issues and background of this popular, but complex field. This two-volume set offers definitive coverage of the field as a whole, and is divided into three thematic sections:Part I "Origins, Aims and Methods" features articles on the history and theory of the discipline, and the techniques used in the study of archaeological evidence. Part II "Problems and Approaches" examines how archaeologists approach such themes as culture, identity, society, territory, population and beliefs across the traditional boundaries of period and place. Part III "The Development of Human Society" integrates the concerns which are addressed in the previous two sections and draws together the methods and approaches in studying hunter-gatherer societies, developing models for state formation, examining medieval demographic trends, and understanding early modern and industrial societies.

Graeme Barker

Books

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