Storage: Introduction to the special issue

Abstract

Overview Storing has played a key role in the evolution of human society and human–environment relationships. Storing allows preservation and accumulation of foodstuff over longer periods of time, thus reducing dependency on seasonal conditions and food seasonality (Laland and O’Brien 2010), and provides increased socio-ecological resilience under environmental and climatic stress. The accumulation of food through storing is also fundamental for the emergence of wealth and inequality. Testart (1982) has put the ability to store food in context with the transition to domestication, specifically agriculture, and the Neolithic. He claims that food storage was in many cases a precursor of domestication, triggering the emergence of social stratification and an increase in social complexity based on wealth. Archaeological excavations in the Jordan Valley have revealed structures for storing wild grains in hunter–gatherer contexts, pre-dating evidence of domesticated grains (Kuijt and Finlayson 2009). The understanding of storage and storing technology is therefore fundamental to understand the establishment of socio-ecological and socio-economical structures. This volume proposes a theoretical and methodological review of this fascinating aspect of human behaviour. The theoretical perspectives of some of the most authoritative voices in the field are combined with results from current research and recent methodological developments.  De Saulieu and Testart present their most recent