402 BOOK REVIEWS

Other biological evidence which is currently being exploited in the quest to understand the nature of the prehistoric highland zone are mollusc assemblages (P. J. Spencer) and bone collections (L. Alcock), the latter being a proverbially contentious subject. Both of these techniques can supply information in situations where pollen fails, but both present considerable problems of sampling and interpretation, as these two papers indicate.

The application of economic and ecological theory to the study of prehistoric societies and landscapes is still in its infancy, Four papers, by R. E. Chaplin, P. Evans, P. Mellars and I. G. Simmons, consider prehistoric relationships between man and ungulates from the ecological/economic point of view. In particular the question is raised whether man may have managed the populations of certain ungulates, such as Bos primigenius or Cervus elephas either directly or indirectly by the management of their favoured habitats. All authors agree that partial forest clearance would have raised the carrying capacity of the environment for large ungulates and it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that such clearance was the product of calculated environmental management.

The continued importance of strictly distributional studies is emphasized by D. R. Wilson, who includes some excellent air photographs, and W. H. Manning, whose work suggests that the highland zone must have contributed a substantial proportion of the grain consumption of the Roman army of occupation in Britain. E. E. Evans and J. A. Taylor in their papers go as far as to question the adequacy (on climatic grounds) of a twofold division of the British Isles into highland and lowland zones. J. B. Stevenson considers the landscape factors which influence the initial construction and the survival and discovery of archaeological sites, while Frances Lynch, considers the aesthetic motives which could underlie the placing of prehistoric sites.

Three papers on soils by D. F. Ball, R. T. Smith, J. C. C. Romans and L. Robertson are concerned chiefly with processes resulting from deforestation. In these both the physical characteristics of profiles and pollen studies are quoted, but detailed interpre- tation is difficult, particularly the chronological relationships of the features involved.

The overall aim of this collection of papers in unclear. If it seeks to give an overall view of man’s effect on the highland zone landscape then it fails to do so because of a lack of integration. The papers belong to a wide range of disciplines and occasionally display an inadequate grasp of other, related fields. In part this could have been improved by more severe editing, but it is partly the inevitable consequence of bringing together specialists from so many quarters. As a collection of current ideas and trends, all of which are beginning to converge in the reconstruction of the early upland environment, however, this booklet should provide a valuable stimulus to interest and research in this wide field. The integration of ideas emerging from these varied disciplines must remain a task for the future.

Peier D. Moore

Evolutionary Studies in World Crops : Diversity and Change in the Indian Subcontinent Edited by Sir Joseph Hutchinson 1974. viii + 175 pp. Cambridge University Press. &34X0. There are 16 contributions in this symposium, mainly on modern plants of economic importance, although brief mention is made at times of the plants in historic times. However, the detailed chapter by Dr Vishnu-Mittre is purely on palaeobotanical evidence from India and is clearly an important review for those working in this field.

DRB