Table of Contents

In search of origins; creating new plants and animals; new technology and the search for agricultural origins; the fertile crescent; Europe and Africa; East Asia; Middle and South America; Eastern North America and the Southwest; the search for explanations.

Reviews

Smith, an archaeologist, presents in plain English the story of the emergence of agriculture worldwide, as hunter-gatherers between 10,000-4500 years ago in different regions independently domesticated certain plants and animals. Smith provides a region-by-region examination, starting with the Fertile Crescent of the Mediterranean approximately 10,000 years ago, followed by Europe, Africa, Asia, Middle and South America, and finally North America, where he relates some of his own archaeological investigations. Color photographs and maps help tell the story. There are really two interwoven stories here: the when, where, how, and why of the transition to agriculture, and the investigations and discoveries of researchers attempting to find the answers. Smith explains how several recent technological developments have aided investigators. Another recent nontechnical yet intelligent work dealing with the beginnings of agriculture is the beautifully illustrated People of the Stone Age: Hunter-Gatherers and Early Farmers (LJ 2/1/94). Libraries collecting in this subject area will want both of these books.-William H. Wiese, Iowa State Univ. Lib., Ames