Evidence for Early Crop Management Practices in the Western Mediterranean: Latest Data, New Developments and Future Perspectives

Abstract

This paper summarizes results from the AGRIWESTMED project focusing on the characterization of the first agriculture through the study of the available archaeobotanical data and including information from new sites. Detailed information on the particular features of the crop assemblages studied for each period is followed by a thorough discussion on regional patterns. These are addressed within the context of crop diversity by exploring different issues that may have accounted for such variability. The paper draws attention to the different agricultural traditions encountered in the Iberian Peninsula during the Neolithic and explores contacts with other regions and possible routes of arrival. Finally, a model of agricultural evolution during the early phases of the Neolithic in Iberia is presented.