Subsistence and Society in Prehistory

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

Using globally diverse examples, this book examines how to integrate new biomolecular and microscopic techniques with long-established forms of archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological data to reconstruct prehistoric diet and subsistence in different environments leading to a comprehensive picture of the tapestry of past human cultural variation.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.