The eight case studies in this book -- each a synthesis of available knowledge about the origins of agriculture in a specific region of the globe -- enable scholars in diverse disciplines to examine humanity's transition to agricultural societies. Contributors include: Gary W. Crawford, Robin W. Dennell, and Jack R. Harlan.
List of IllustrationsList of TablesAcknowledgmentsList of ContributorsPreface to the New EditionIntroductionCOWANC. WESLEYWATSONPATTY JOPrehistoric Plant Domestication in East AsiaCRAWFORDGARY W.The Origins of Plant Cultivation in the Near EastMILLERNAOMI F.Indigenous African AgricultureHARLANJACK R.The Origins of Crop Agriculture in EuropeDENNELLROBIN W.Prehistoric Plant Husbandry in Eastern North AmericaSMITHBRUCE D.Earliest Plant Cultivation in the Desert Borderlands of North AmericaMINNISPAUL E.The Origins of Agriculture in Mesoamerica and Central AmericaDE TAPIAEMILY MCCLUNGThe Origins of Plant Cultivation in South AmericaPEARSALLDEBORAH M.Some Concluding RemarksCOWANC. WESLEYWATSONPATTY JOIndex
C. Wesley Cowan is a retired anthropologist and museum curator, the founder and owner of Cowan's Auctions, Inc., a star on the PBS series, History Detectives, and a frequent appraiser on Antiques Roadshow.
Patty Jo Watson is Edward Mallinckrodt Distinguished University Professor Emerita, Department of Anthropology, Washington University, St. Louis.