The shift from foraging to farming has remained an area of intense interest in archaeology for over a century. Beginning some 15,000 years ago, this fundamental transition laid the foundations for our familiar world of city life. A historical treatment is accorded the growth of ideas on the subject. Particular attention is paid to problems of differentiating the material residues of farmers from those of hunters and gatherers. Initial developments in the Middle East are placed in global perspective by considering the advent of food production in Europe, north and sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia, Melanesia, Mesoamerica and South America.

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