Understanding of early farming societies in Greece has been revolutionized by major field projects, by the growing application of specialist 'scientific' studies, and by new approaches to interpretation. This volume reviews the most significant recent field research, ranging from regional survey, through large-scale excavation of an extensive open settlement, to the investigation of caves. Contributors critically evaluate or revise current ideas on the nature of these early societies at a range of scales from the individual to the region.

This revealing study shows how careful analysis of recent farming practices, and related cultural traditions, in communities around the Mediterranean can enhance our understanding of prehistoric and Greco-Roman societies.

• Includes a wealth of original interview material and data from field observation
• Provides original approaches to understanding past farming practices and their social contexts
• Offers a revealing comparative perspective on Mediterranean societies' agronomy
• Identifies a number of previously unrecorded climate-related contrasts in...

Economic archaeology is the study of how past peoples exploited animals and plants, using as evidence the remains of those animals and plants. The animal side is usually termed zooarchaeology, the plant side archaeobotany. What distinguishes them from other studies of ancient animals and plants is that their ultimate aim is to find out about human behaviour - the animal and plant remains are a means to this end. The 33 papers present a wide array of topics covering many areas of archaeological interest. Aspects of method and theory, animal bone identification, human palaeopathology,...