The Late Epipalaeolithic and Early Neolithic in the Jordanian Badia: Recent Fieldwork around the Qa' Shubayqa

TY - JOUR

T1 - The Late Epipalaeolithic and Early Neolithic in the Jordanian Badia:

T2 - Recent Fieldwork around the Qa' Shubayqa

AU - Richter, Tobias

PY - 2017/6

Y1 - 2017/6

N2 - The transition from foraging to agriculture is one of the most enduring research issues in the prehistory of southwest Asia. Traditionally, research into the Epipalaeolithic- Neolithic transition-commonly referred to as the Neolithic Revolution-has concentrated on those regions of southwest Asia that have high mean annual precipitation and arable land. This is because sustainable agriculture, prior to the advent of more sophisticated irrigation technologies, is confined to areas with more than 200 mm of mean annual rainfall. Below this threshold only opportunistic cultivation is possible, while the keeping of livestock under such arid conditions is dependent on a nomadic mode of pastoralism. Archaeologists have tended to neglect the arid periphery of the Fertile Crescent in the study of early agricultural societies, and have largely treated these regions as secondary. As a consequence, the east Jordanian badia has seen comparatively little research on Epipalaeolithic and Neolithic settlement.

AB - The transition from foraging to agriculture is one of the most enduring research issues in the prehistory of southwest Asia. Traditionally, research into the Epipalaeolithic- Neolithic transition-commonly referred to as the Neolithic Revolution-has concentrated on those regions of southwest Asia that have high mean annual precipitation and arable land. This is because sustainable agriculture, prior to the advent of more sophisticated irrigation technologies, is confined to areas with more than 200 mm of mean annual rainfall. Below this threshold only opportunistic cultivation is possible, while the keeping of livestock under such arid conditions is dependent on a nomadic mode of pastoralism. Archaeologists have tended to neglect the arid periphery of the Fertile Crescent in the study of early agricultural societies, and have largely treated these regions as secondary. As a consequence, the east Jordanian badia has seen comparatively little research on Epipalaeolithic and Neolithic settlement.

M3 - Journal article

SN - 1094-2076

VL - 80

SP - 30

EP - 37

JO - Near Eastern Archaeology

JF - Near Eastern Archaeology

IS - 2

ER -