Handbook to Life in Prehistoric Europe

Handbook to Life in Prehistoric Europe focuses primarily on the period from 7000 BCE , when agricultural communities first began appearing in Southeastern Europe, to the first century CE , when Western Europe was progressively incorporated into the Roman imperium. Completely comprehensive, this engaging volume begins with an overview of the entire prehistory and early history of Europe from the earliest times to the creation of the Roman Empire and discusses Europe's interactions at various times with parts of Asia and North Africa. Due to a lack of historical evidence, information on many aspects of life at this time, belief systems, history, and literature is slight or non-existent. For this reason, Handbook to Life in Prehistoric Europe focuses on purely archaeological data and subjects such as settlement patterns, agriculture, technology, funerary practices, and monuments. Since areas of Europe developed at different times in a variety of ways, this accessible volume has a shifting geographical focus, including regions as they adopted farming as their principal economic base. Special attention is also given to the part Europe played in the major developments that have shaped human society. Coverage includes the development and spread of agriculture in Europe, the associated evolution of social class divisions and occupational specialization, the growth of settlement complexity, the emergence of complex belief systems, the development of pastoralism and the interplay between pastoral and agrarian societies, the spread of the Indo-European languages, the growth of militarism, the impact of new technologies, and other major issues.