Agriculture through the Ages: From Silk to Supermarkets

by Michael Woods, Mary B. Woods

Overview

"For of all gainful professions, nothing is better, nothing more pleasing, nothing more delightful, nothing better becomes a well-bred [person] than agriculture."—Marcus Tullius Cicero, ancient Roman orator, ca. 44 BCE

"There is the place where his fruit trees are grown tall and flourish, pear trees and pomegranate trees and the flourishing olive."—Homer, Odyssey, eighth century BCE

Around 10,000 years ago, humans began settling down and growing food in one place. This practice is called agriculture, and it made building large cities and complex societies possible. Throughout our history, humans have developed technologies to grow, process, and store food.

Agriculture led to further developments in civilizations. Ancient peoples developed math techniques to count crops, created writing systems to record food stores, and invented machines to move water and harvest their fields. Whether developing new growing techniques or improving past technologies, ancient civilizations found creative ways to feed their people.

From growing plants and raising animals side-by-side to building complex harvesting machines, discover the ancient agricultural techniques that led to the many delicious cuisines of the modern world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798765610060
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/01/2024
Series:	Technology through the Ages
Pages:	80
Product dimensions:	6.25(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.38(d)
Age Range:	12 - 14 Years

About the Author

Michael Woods is a science and medical writer whose nationally syndicated newspaper stories and columns have won numerous national awards. He directs a program at the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, to inform the public about science. He and his wife, Mary B. Woods, have written almost forty books together. Michael is the writer, and Mary is the researcher.

Mary B. Woods is an elementary school librarian in the Fairfax County (VA) Public School system. She has presented at international librarians' conferences. Mary has worked with her husband, Michael Woods, to write almost forty books. She is the researcher, and Michael is the writer.

Editorial Reviews

07/12/2024

Gr 6 Up—This engaging series looks at how humans in different regions developed and utilized technology in ancient times. Readers learn about various aspects of key developments, including the factors that spurred innovation, benefits to humans, and specific details on techniques and inventions. The bulk of the chapters focus on one of six or seven regions, providing broad but not complete coverage; African cultures beyond Egypt are not included. Occasional examples of how modern scientists learned about ancient practices are woven into the text, such as underwater caching theory in Agriculture Through the Ages and Antikythera mechanism in Machines Through the Ages. The focus is on ancient technology, though the concluding chapters in all but Machines note some more recent inventions. The volumes point out how modern societies continue to reuse and build upon past developments. Dates are noted throughout and a two-page time line provides a useful, broader picture. Solid visual support includes one or two illustrations, reproductions, or a photograph per spread. VERDICT Well-written resources for middle and high schoolers.—Steven Engelfried

School Library Journal

2023-10-21
A broad historical overview of the invention and development of farming and animal husbandry.

This lightly reworked version of the authors’ Ancient Agricultural Technology (2011) offers a newly edited text, a fresh set of illustrations, and some new backmatter. As before, though Africa outside of ancient Egypt gets a pass, the authors do highlight tools, products, or techniques distinctive to other regions in prehistoric times and in ancient cultures, such as traditional Mayan agricultural practices, the breeding of white sheep to make cloth dying easier in the Middle East, crop rotation in the Roman Empire, and pearls and silk in ancient China. (Fermented beverages, as the book points out, were invented in many places: Tutankhamen was buried with 26 jugs of wine, and traces of alcohol have been found in Chinese pottery from roughly 7000-6600 BCE.) A final chapter brings the story up to date with nods to inventor Cyrus McCormick and mechanized farming, the growth of agribusiness, and the rediscovery of organic and sustainable farming in recent decades. The layout is attractive, with plenty of white space, ample illustrations, and text boxes with pertinent background information. The straightforward text is accessible for reluctant and struggling readers.

Doesn’t dig very deep but possibly useful for school reports. (timeline, glossary, source notes, selected bibliography, further reading, index, photo credits) (Nonfiction. 11-18)

Kirkus Reviews