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Klappentext This study describes and explains the revolutionary changes which transformed the agricultural life of the Islamicized world in the four centuries following the early Arab conquests. Zusammenfassung This study describes and explains the revolutionary changes which transformed the agricultural life of the Islamicized world in the four centuries following the early Arab conquests. Professor Watson discusses eighteen crops - from sorghum and rye to the watermelon - which spread through the Near East and North Africa during this period. Inhaltsverzeichnis Acknowledgments; 1. Introduction; Part I. The chronology of diffusion: 2. Sorghum; 3. Asiatic rice; 4. Hard wheat; 5. Sugar cane; 6. Old World cotton; 7. Sour orange, lemon, lime, shaddock; 8. Banana, plantain; 9. Coconut palm; 10. Watermelon; 11. Spinach; 12. Artichoke; 13. Colocasia; 14. Eggplant; 15. Mango tree; Part II. The pathways of diffusion; 16. The routes; Part III. The mechanics of diffusion: 17. The agents; 18. A medium for diffusion; 19. The pull of demand; 20. Facilitating supply: irrigation; 21. Facilitating supply: land tenure; 22. Facilitating supply: gardens; Part IV. The new plants in the economy: 23. An agricultural revolution?; 24. Agriculture in its context; Part V. Later centuries: 25. Agriculture in retreat.