Die Neolithisierung im Vorderen Orient

by Marion Benz

The transition from food procurement, i.e. hunter-gathering-fishing, to food production or agriculture, has been widely studied. However, there is still much work to be done on the psychological and social aspects of the change as opposed to the physical changes. Using evidence from the analysis of 43 recent hunter-gatherer groups in, among other places, the Kalahari, West Africa and Australia, Benz looks at the reasons for the shift in subsistence patterns in the Neolithic Near East and asks why some groups were, and still are, reluctant to give up their lifestyle. She argues that the latter is based around wanting to maintain a degree of mobility, reciprocity and food sharing and wanting immediate rewards for their labours. German text, English summary.

260 pages, Paperback

Published December 31, 2000