Ancient Agricultural Technology

Describes the technology used by ancient farmers, covering the evolution of farming tools, irrigation methods, animal breeding, and the processing of crops, including the ancient civilizations of China, Greece, Rome, India, and the Middle East.

Discusses agricultural technology in various cultures from the Stone Age to 476 A.D., including China, Egypt, Mesoamerica, and Greece.

The Art of Agriculture is the first English edition of Obra de Agricultura by Gabriel Alonso de Herrera, an agriculture instruction manual originally written in Granada, Spain, in 1513 and published there in 1539. Herrera, widely considered the Father of Modern Spanish Agriculture, wrote this treatise nearly five centuries ago, thoughtfully recounting traditional farming techniques of the Moors before their expulsion from Spain, the Spanish colonizers in the early 1600s, and the rural Indo-Hispano bioregion spanning northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. Today, farmers, gardeners, and ecological horticulturists are striving to work in harmony with nature, using traditional irrigation methods (involving acequias, sangras, and arroyos) to transform barren high-desert landscapes into fields supporting crop growth. This book speaks to today's farmers, no matter their size or output, in drought-ridden areas with land patterns characterized by natural ditches (acequias) and community water distribution systems (suertes). This type of agriculture exists not only in the American Southwest but from the Philippines to India to the Middle East. With global warming, water usage, and increased populations today, this book is more pertinent now than ever. Practical as well as philosophical, The Art of Agriculture will fascinate anyone interested in organic farming, sustainable agriculture, and permaculture worldwide.

This book chronicles how since the Neolithic era of the Stone Age, agricultural tools evolved from pointed digging sticks to electron microscopes. Weeds evolved into wheat, carrots, and more as humans selected and designed foods. People farmed sustainably since the last Ice Age with fire and fish traps, and more recently, agriculture has evolved to produce more for a growing worldwide population. Learning about problems from the past and the future that agricultural technology is meant to solve will help readers understand how applying critical thinking can change the world.

Did you know . . . • Ancient Romans invented a machine to harvest grain? • Farmers in ancient China destroyed the pests that harmed crops by bringing in their natural predators? • The ancient Mayans restored nutrients to the soil by planting corn and beans together? People learned to farm more than twelve thousand years ago. The first farmers used simple technology. They carried water to their crops by hand. They made farm tools from wood and animal bones. Over the centuries, ancient farmers devised better technology. Ancient Middle Easterners learned to breed sheep to produce different colors of wool. The ancient Chinese learned how to grow more rice using irrigation techniques. The ancient Greeks built machines for pumping water, grinding grain, and crushing grapes and olives. What kinds of crops did ancient farmers grow? What kind of animals did they raise? And how did people get their food before agriculture? Learn more in Ancient Agricultural Technology.

"Legacy of Ancient Agriculture - Economic Foundations of Civilizations" delves into the profound impact of ancient agricultural practices on the development of civilizations. Exploring topics ranging from crop domestication and irrigation systems to land tenure and urbanization, this book offers a comprehensive examination of how agriculture shaped the economic, social, and cultural landscapes of ancient societies. Through intriguing insights and fascinating facts, readers discover the enduring legacy of ancient agricultural techniques and their influence on modern agriculture, economics, and society. Rich in historical context and scholarly research, this book provides a compelling narrative that sheds light on the vital role of agriculture in shaping the trajectory of human history.

This is the first of three planned volumes which deal with the techniques and technology of agriculture in Europe in the period from 600 A.D. down to the 17th century. The focus of this first volume is Scandinavia, the British Isles, Northern Germany, the Low Countries and Northern France. The volume discusses methodological approaches and their limitations, the development of medieval agriculture in terms of the transmission of technological ideas, improvements in productivity, regional variations, social responses to agricultural technology, and those common trends that unite the Northwest European region. The volume integrates material derived from the great advances made in medieval archaeology and the historical study of landscapes during the past 30 years and has a supranational character. It will be of interest to all those working on the social, economic and political history of Northwest Europe in the medieval and early modern periods as well as to those undertaking research in the specific field of the history of technology.

After the last ice age, humans began to settle down and grow their own food. Learn how advances in ancient agricultural practices have aided our modern food system.