The Farming of Prehistoric Britain

by P.J. Fowler

Peter Fowler's essay on later prehistoric agriculture in the first volume of The Agrarian History of England and Wales was hailed by reviewers as a 'masterpiece of informed synthesis'. In The Farming of Prehistoric Britain Dr Fowler, a foremost authority on agrarian archaeology, has revised and updated his original work to provide an accessible and comprehensive survey of the evolution of British farming and its landscape during the last two millennia BC. Emphasizing past gains in knowledge from experimental, aerial and field archaeology, Dr Fowler demonstrates how the application of archaeological approaches to agrarian history has made the subject central to our understanding of the prehistoric period. Accompanied by a wealth of illustrations, he examines the composition, distribution and farming activities of the human population of the British Isles in the light of research into its environment, capabilities, settlements and field systems. He describes the evidence for, and the techniques and technology of, arable and pastoral farming, and concludes by discussing some cultural, social and economic achievements of the agrarian communities of later prehistoric Britain.

272 pages, Paperback

First published July 7, 1983

Reviews

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main reason I wanted this book, was because in the sequel, (Farming in the First Millennium AD), he mentions the use of ards and their possible replacement by the plow (whether introduced by the invading Romans in their centuries of occupation of south east Britain, or by other cultures i.e. Belgic). It was in this book that he actually discusses the development and use of ards at length.

Overall, the book was quite good. It was in the last chapter that I got any sense of that the author was interpreting the data presented in the bulk of the book, through a 20th century lens. But, to be fair, he did state, as a footnote to the chapter's title, that "It is clearly a subjective interpretation arising from the data and ideas already itemized in the footnotes or referenced in the Ste Index and Select Bibliography."

Overall, I really enjoyed the book... and it looks very festive with all the post-it note flags adorning it. :) (Party book!)