Subsistence and Society in Prehistory
New Directions in Economic Archaeology

Explains how recent scientific advances have revolutionised our understanding of prehistoric diet, economy and society.

Alan K. Outram (Author), Amy Bogaard (Author)

9781107128774, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 24 October 2019

286 pages, 37 b/w illus. 2 maps
23.5 x 15.9 x 1.8 cm, 0.6 kg

Over the last thirty years, new scientific techniques have revolutionised our understanding of prehistoric economies. They enable a sound comprehension of human diet and subsistence in different environments, which is an essential framework for appreciating the rich tapestry of past human cultural variation. This volume first considers the origins of economic approaches in archaeology and the theoretical debates surrounding issues such as 'environmental determinism'. Using globally diverse examples, Alan K. Outram and Amy Bogaard critically investigate the best way to integrate newer lines of evidence such as ancient genetics, stable isotope analysis, organic residue chemistry and starch and phytolith studies with long-established forms of archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological data. Two case study chapters, on early Neolithic farming in Europe, and the origins of domestic horses and pastoralism in Central Asia, illustrate the benefit of a multi-proxy approach and how economic considerations feed into broader social and cultural questions.

1. Introduction
2. Is determinism dead?
3. Incorporating new methods I: the stable isotope revolution
4. Incorporating new methods II: residue chemistry
5. Incorporating new methods III: answering palaeoeconomic questions with molecular genetics
6. Incorporating new methods IV: phytoliths and starch grains in the tropics and beyond
7. Integrated case study I: early farming in Central Europe
8. Integrated case study II: horse domestication and the origins of pastoralism in Central Asia
9. Conclusion.

Subject Areas: Archaeological science, methodology & techniques [HDW], Prehistoric archaeology [HDDA], Archaeology by period / region [HDD], Archaeology [HD], Ancient history: to c 500 CE [HBLA], History: earliest times to present day [HBL], History [HB]