The neolithic revolution in the Near East

"Based on more than thirty years of fieldwork, this timely volume examines the Neolithic Revolution in the Levantine Near East and on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. Alan Simmons explores recent research regarding the emergence of Neolithic populations, using both environmental and theoretical contexts, and incorporates specific case studies based on his own excavations. Simmons traces chronological and regional differences within this land of immense environmental contrasts - woodlands, steppe, and desert. He argues that the Neolithic Revolution can be seen in a variety of economic, demographic, and social guises and that it lacked a single common stimulus."--BOOK JACKET.