Explaining and Exploring Diversity in Agricultural Technology

by Patricia C. Anderson (Editor), John Whittaker

This volume is the outcome of collaborative European research among archaeologists, archaeobotanists, ethnographers, historians and agronomists, and frequently uses experiments in archaeology. It aims to establish new common ground for integrating different approaches and for viewing agriculture from the standpoint of the human actors involved. Each chapter provides an interdisciplinary overview of the skills used and the social context of the pursuit of agriculture, highlighting examples of tools, technologies and processes from land clearance to cereal processing and food preparation. This is the second of three volumes in the EARTH monograph series, The dynamics of non-industrial 8,000 years of resilience and innovation , which shows the great variety of agricultural practices in human terms, in their social, political, cultural and legal contexts.

Table of Contents

Part Introduction
1. The dimension of tools, skills and processes

Part The agricultural tools and techniques in cultural context
2. From Land Clearance and Preparation to Sowing
3. Tending the Crops
4. Diversity in Harvesting Techniques
5. Threshing Processes and Tools
6. Storage and Preservation
7. Cereal Processing and Techniques, Tools, and Gestures

Part The social context of agricultural technology
8. Acquiring skills and the transmission of knowledge
9. Symbolic and legal aspects of agrarian life
10. Agricultural change and stability

304 pages, Hardcover

First published November 30, 2012