Abstract
The oldest documented Neolithic cultures occur in the Fertile Crescent of Southwest Asia, more commonly known as the Near East. While future research may ultimately yield an even older Neolithic, it has been best and most thoroughly studied in this region. This chapter provides an overview of the Near Eastern Neolithic in the several terms like environment and climate, Near East-specific theories on the Neolithic, issues of sedentism and the nature of the first villages and contemporary and future research trends. The Near Eastern Neolithic was first documented during archaeology's formative development and some of the considerable diversity in terminology is result of the academic and national backgrounds of the variety of scholars involved in these early studies. Refinements in precise environmental reconstruction methods have greatly assisted in addressing this issue. The emerging research on Cyprus has reoriented how archaeologists view island colonization, domestication processes and accompanying social changes, and the spread of the Neolithic from its mainland cores.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | The Cambridge World History Volume 2. A World with Agriculture, 12,000 BCE-500 CE |
Editors | Graeme Barker & Candice Goucher |
Place of Publication | London |
Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
Pages | 445-471pp |
Volume | 2 |
Edition | 1st |
ISBN (Print) | 9780521192187 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2015 |