First Farmers

I have read "The Global Prehistory, etc.," edited by Bellwood, and so, I respect his work. But this book needed an editor BADLY. Example: Page 18, Paragraph 1, "...The reason why....is because....' And, at the end of the same paragraph, "...To the general significance of sedantism as a precursor for agriculture we will return."So far, so good (up to page 18) but it is a difficult read because I keep getting hung up on such foolishness. Bellwood seems reluctant to get an editor for his own work.

Bellwood, an archaeologist specializing in Austronesian populations, has compiled a vast body of evidence from archaeology, linguistics, and genetics, and synthesized it into a very readable book about the origin and dispersal of the Neolithic.Bellwood is known for his view that the major language phyla of the contemporary world are most likely to be descended from the languages spoken by peoples who first developed agriculture. Since agricultural populations grow faster than foraging populations, and since much evidence shows that agriculture is not readily adopted by foragers, it appears that the Neolithic dispersal was largely a phenomenon of migration, in which the first farmers carried their languages and genes with them.The book is full of detail, presenting a nuanced view of the Neolithic as it developed in five or six origin areas, and then dispersed outward. Technical concepts, such as "glottochronology," are explained without much fuss. Most of the genetic data has been collected within the past decade, and casts an intriguing light on the movements of people in prehistoric times.

The hype for this book is somewhat misleading. It is above all, a reference for students interested in who is saying what in which papers, than an overview of farming.

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