Domestication of Plants in the Old World: The Origin and Spread of Cultivated Plants in West Asia, Europe, and the Nile Valley (Paperback)

by Daniel Zohary (Author), Maria Hopf (Author) "The study of the origin and spread of cultivated plants is an interdisciplinary venture based on evidence from numerous sources..." (more)
Key Phrases: spelta wheat, evidence from the living plants, carbonized pips, Near East, Bronze Age, Nile Valley (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

[This book] provides a review of the origin and the spread of cultivated plants in southwest Asia, Europe and Africa north of the Sahara, the classical 'Old World'. The aim is to trace plant domestication and crop plant evolution from its early beginnings up to classical times. . . . The authors are preeminently qualified to this task. . . . Hence this is the most thoroughly researched text addressing crucial questions about origins of agriculture in the Near East: defining a crop's progenitor, and evidence central to domestication. . . . Overall, this book is a masterpiece, well illustrated with photographs, line drawings and maps. The 45-page bibliography is a treasure house of information. It is worth every penny of the price, and belongs in the libraries of botanists, anthropologists, geographers, and every university." -- Plant Science Bulletin
"This excellent volume by D. Zohary and M. Hopf provides a wealth of information concerning plants in Western Asia, Europe, and the Nile Valley, knowledge crucial for resolving these questions. ... it provides botanists, palaeo-ethno-botanists, and archaeologists with a basic summary of the available plant evidence from the archaeological contexts, and their natural habitats."--Israel Journal of Plant Sciences


Product Description
The origin of agriculture is one of the defining events of human history. Some 10,000 years ago bands of hunter-gatherers started to abandon their high-mobility lifestyles in favour of growing crops, and the creation of settled, sedentary communities. This settlement in favour of the agricultural lifestyle triggered the evolution of complex political and economic structures, and technological developments, and ultimately underpinned the rise of all the great civilisations of recent human history. Domestication of plants in the Old World reviews the origin and spread of cultivation in south-west Asia, Europe, and north-east Africa, from the very earliest beginnings. This new edition incorporates the most recent findings from molecular biology about the genetic relations between domesticated plants and their wild ancestors; it adds material on several new crop plants; and it incorporates extensive new archaeological data about the spread of agriculture within the region. The reference list has been completely updated, as have the list of archaeological sites and the site maps.
From reviews of the second edition: 'This book is indeed a "mine of information". An enormous and diverse body of important results is digested and presented economically, in a form that should encourage other authors to mine it and apply the results to their own fields.' Nature
'This is an excellent book, suitable for libraries, reference shelves, and anyone who teaches or writes about plant domestication.' Journal of Ethnobiology
'Only a few years after the publication, in 1988, of Zohary and Hopf's textbook, the volume was already out of print.... One cannot be grateful enough to the authors that they seized the opportunity to update the book.... An indispensable reference work; a wealth of information is presented in a systematic way.... This already classic textbook has amply proven its value, and hardly needs further recommendation.' Helinium

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Product Details

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 3 edition (March 22, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198503563
• ISBN-13: 978-0198503569
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #400,481 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reference, February 21, 2009

By	Mahala Khabeelah (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Domestication of Plants in the Old World: The Origin and Spread of Cultivated Plants in West Asia, Europe, and the Nile Valley (Hardcover)

I'm not an expert, but I am extremely curious about the origins of agriculture. I have found this book to be an excellent reference. If you want to know where many of the plants you use come from you may also find this book to be useful.