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Abstract
A recent paper by Jones et al. (Food globalization in prehistory, World Archaeology, 2011, 43(4), 665–75) explores a prehistoric ‘Trans-Eurasian’ episode of food globalization characterized by the long-distance exchange of starch crops. Drawing upon a comparison to the Columbian Exchange, they emphasize the role of fast-growing crops in optimizing productivity, giving minimal consideration to other drivers. Here we re-evaluate the sequence and timing of the Trans-Eurasian exchange and give greater consideration to the social dimensions of plant translocation. We outline a model for thinking about plant translocations that highlights the way the conceptualization and use of introduced plants changes through time, with social factors frequently dominating in the early stages.
Acknowledgements
This paper is an output of the multi-institutional, collaborative Sealinks Project. The authors are grateful for funding received from the European Research Council for the Sealinks Project, as part of Grant Agreement No 206148 awarded to Nicole Boivin; to the British Academy for a postdoctoral fellowship awarded to Alison Crowther; and to the Natural Environment Research Council and Oxford University Fell Fund for other related funding. Our text has been improved based on the suggestions of two anonymous reviewers, Peter van Dommelen, Lin Foxhall, and Amy Bogaard.