Paper short abstract:

This talk presents a brief review of recent archaeological evidence for the process of prehistoric sedentarization and the transition to agriculture by hunter-gatherers in the temperate and tropical region in relation to climate and environmental change.

Paper long abstract:

Most prehistoric hunter-gatherers opted for sedentary village life and agriculture after the Last Glacial period. However, the timing and process of these changes in lifestyle differed among various regions worldwide. This talk presents a brief review of recent archaeological evidence for the process of prehistoric sedentarization and the transition to agriculture by hunter-gatherers in the temperate and tropical region, especially in the Natufian and Pre-Pottery Neolithic periods in the Near East, the Jomon period in Japan, and the Preceramic and Early Ceramic periods in the New World Tropics. I will discuss the differences in the degree of increasing sedentism and the timing and process of the transitioning to agriculture among these regions in relation to climate and environmental change.