AGRICULTURE THROUGH THE AGES

A broad historical overview of the invention and development of farming and animal husbandry.

This lightly reworked version of the authors’ Ancient Agricultural Technology (2011) offers a newly edited text, a fresh set of illustrations, and some new backmatter. As before, though Africa outside of ancient Egypt gets a pass, the authors do highlight tools, products, or techniques distinctive to other regions in prehistoric times and in ancient cultures, such as traditional Mayan agricultural practices, the breeding of white sheep to make cloth dying easier in the Middle East, crop rotation in the Roman Empire, and pearls and silk in ancient China. (Fermented beverages, as the book points out, were invented in many places: Tutankhamen was buried with 26 jugs of wine, and traces of alcohol have been found in Chinese pottery from roughly 7000-6600 BCE.) A final chapter brings the story up to date with nods to inventor Cyrus McCormick and mechanized farming, the growth of agribusiness, and the rediscovery of organic and sustainable farming in recent decades. The layout is attractive, with plenty of white space, ample illustrations, and text boxes with pertinent background information. The straightforward text is accessible for reluctant and struggling readers.

Doesn’t dig very deep but possibly useful for school reports.