The Food Crisis in Prehistory: Overpopulation and the Origins of Agriculture

Abstract

The authors of this monumental work are aiming at a wide audience ranging from the Egyptologist to the inquisitive general reader.For the latter there is a general introduction concerning Ancient Egypt and the sources available, followed by a chapter on the nutritional state ofthe Egyptians.Then each foodstuffin turn, including sweetening agents and salt, together with beverages, spices and herbs, is discussed at length.The book has a multitude of illustrations, more than 340 in black and white and ten in colour, comprising maps, photographs, and line-drawings.There is a large bibliography and a good index.The book will prove to be a remarkable source of information for those working in the fields of Egyptology, nutrition, the history of medicine, sociology, and an- thropology, amongst others.As far as nutritionists are concerned, they have already awarded the work the Nutrition Foundations' award for 1977.Regarding the history of medicine, it seems unnecessary to have included the therapeutic use of foodstuffs.It is also curious that certain animals are included, as for example the elephant, which were of no significant importance as a source of food.The plethora of detail is of great value, but of equal interest is the transmission of food habits and attitudes to later ancient peoples, such as the Hebrews, Christians, and Arabs, some of which persist to the present day.The authors took fifteen years carrying out the research for their book, and apart from relatively minor defects their labours have been fully justified.