DOI Artikel:
Editorial
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49002#0210
EDITORIAL
Tools and Tillage is a great world-traveller.
The articles now presented cover New
Guinea, India, Ireland and Norway, taking
the hot with the cool. The Journal is a time-
traveller also, for it ranges from 2000-1000
B.C. in India to the 18th-20th centuries in
Ireland and Norway.
We are not sure about the date of the very
exciting new discoveries from New Guinea.
They are certainly prehistoric, they certainly
antedate the 16th century coming of the
Europeans, and the “clever money” may be
put on a dating of around 1000 B.C. for
some of them. More research reports and
more precise datings will follow, as this big-
ger project evolves. What is already striking-
ly important in this first report is that tropi-
cal agriculture was just as highly developed
as in the semi-arid zones of the Fertile Cres-
cent in the Middle-East, and dwellers in the
tropics were just as efficient at manipulating
their evironment. Indeed they used water for
irrigation purposes too, just as Norwegian
farmers were doing many centuries later.
Different conditions and different races, in-
deed, but the same human problems requir-
ing solutions, the same need for water for
growing crops, and to keep the grass green.
Vasant Shinde’s material from the Chal-
colithic of India gives a survey of new sites
that appear to have been regional centres.
They represent not so much civilisations as
villages cultures with mixed farming, based
on cattle and grain, with hunting and fish-
ing. There are fine illustrations of pre-
Harappan ard furrows, dating to before
2400-2300 B.C. In some degree, we see here
an agricultural system going in reverse, for a
period of drought led to failure of the system
and change to a semi-nomadic way of life.
Without knowing local circumstance we
cannot depend on pre-conceived lines of de-
velopment as general truths.
Equally interesting is the Irish evidence,
meticulously presented, with fine drawings
and a solidly functional approach. The re-
dating of the pieces is most helpful.
We have ranged over many corners of the
globe, including South America, but the
North of that Continent remains a blank.
Let us challenge our colleagues there to tell
us about immigrant agriculture, the develop-
ment of new machinery, big scale farming.
It is with great sorrow that we report the
loss of our friend and colleague, Professor
Ulrich Bentzien, at the early age of 53. He
was one of the newest members of the Per-
manent International Committee for our In-
ternational Secretariat. His writings remain
as a sound memorial to his scholarship.
Tools and Tillage is a great world-traveller.
The articles now presented cover New
Guinea, India, Ireland and Norway, taking
the hot with the cool. The Journal is a time-
traveller also, for it ranges from 2000-1000
B.C. in India to the 18th-20th centuries in
Ireland and Norway.
We are not sure about the date of the very
exciting new discoveries from New Guinea.
They are certainly prehistoric, they certainly
antedate the 16th century coming of the
Europeans, and the “clever money” may be
put on a dating of around 1000 B.C. for
some of them. More research reports and
more precise datings will follow, as this big-
ger project evolves. What is already striking-
ly important in this first report is that tropi-
cal agriculture was just as highly developed
as in the semi-arid zones of the Fertile Cres-
cent in the Middle-East, and dwellers in the
tropics were just as efficient at manipulating
their evironment. Indeed they used water for
irrigation purposes too, just as Norwegian
farmers were doing many centuries later.
Different conditions and different races, in-
deed, but the same human problems requir-
ing solutions, the same need for water for
growing crops, and to keep the grass green.
Vasant Shinde’s material from the Chal-
colithic of India gives a survey of new sites
that appear to have been regional centres.
They represent not so much civilisations as
villages cultures with mixed farming, based
on cattle and grain, with hunting and fish-
ing. There are fine illustrations of pre-
Harappan ard furrows, dating to before
2400-2300 B.C. In some degree, we see here
an agricultural system going in reverse, for a
period of drought led to failure of the system
and change to a semi-nomadic way of life.
Without knowing local circumstance we
cannot depend on pre-conceived lines of de-
velopment as general truths.
Equally interesting is the Irish evidence,
meticulously presented, with fine drawings
and a solidly functional approach. The re-
dating of the pieces is most helpful.
We have ranged over many corners of the
globe, including South America, but the
North of that Continent remains a blank.
Let us challenge our colleagues there to tell
us about immigrant agriculture, the develop-
ment of new machinery, big scale farming.
It is with great sorrow that we report the
loss of our friend and colleague, Professor
Ulrich Bentzien, at the early age of 53. He
was one of the newest members of the Per-
manent International Committee for our In-
ternational Secretariat. His writings remain
as a sound memorial to his scholarship.