The first book-length overview of agricultural development in the ancient world
A Companion to Ancient Agriculture is an authoritative overview of the history and development of agriculture in the ancient world. Focusing primarily on the Near East and Mediterranean regions, this unique text explores the cultivation of the soil and rearing of animals through centuries of human civilizationfrom the Neolithic beginnings of agriculture to Late Antiquity. Chapters written by the leading scholars in their fields present a multidisciplinary examination of the agricultural methods and influences that have enabled humans to survive and prosper.
Consisting of thirty-one chapters, theCompanion presents essays on a range of topics that include economic-political, anthropological, zooarchaeological, ethnobotanical, and archaeobotanical investigation of ancient agriculture. Chronologically-organized chapters offer in-depth discussions of agriculture in Bronze Age Egypt and Mesopotamia, Hellenistic Greece and Imperial Rome, Iran and Central Asia, and other regions. Sections on comparative agricultural history discuss agriculture in the Indian subcontinent and prehistoric China while an insightful concluding section helps readers understand ancient agriculture from a modern perspective.
Fills the need for a full-length biophysical and social overview of ancient agricultureProvides clear accounts of the current state of research written by experts in their respective areasPlaces ancient Mediterranean agriculture in conversation with contemporary practice in Eastern and Southern AsiaIncludes coverage of analysis of stable isotopes in ancient agricultural cultivationOffers plentiful illustrations, references, case studies, and further reading suggestions
A Companion to Ancient Agricultureis a much-needed resource for advanced students, instructors, scholars, and researchers in fields such as agricultural history, ancient economics, and in broader disciplines including classics, archaeology, and ancient history.
David Hollanderis Associate Professor of History, Iowa State University, USA. He is author ofMoney in the Late Roman Republic andFarmers and Agriculture in the Roman Economy and an editor ofThe Encyclopedia of Ancient History.
Timothy Howe is Professor of History and Ancient Studies, St. Olaf College, Minnesota, USA. Professor Howe is a field archaeologist and agricultural historian and is Senior Editor forThe Ancient History Bulletin. He is author ofPastoral Politics: Animals, Agriculture and Society in Ancient Greece.
