Description

The Introduction explains the book’s central question: How did early farmers in Neolithic Central Europe actually grow their crops?

1. The main subject

The book studies early farming in Central Europe, especially the methods used to cultivate crops during the Neolithic period, approximately 5500–2200 BC.

2. Why is this important?

Understanding farming practices helps archaeologists understand much more than agriculture. It can reveal:

• How early farming communities lived
• Whether people stayed in one place or moved
• How households were organized
• The degree of social differentiation
• The purposes of crop production
• How farming spread from the Near East into Europe