ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the available archaeobotanical data from two large areas: the central Meseta and the most southern Andaluca parts of the Iberian Peninsula. The Meseta is the large plateau that occupies the central part of the Iberian Peninsula, covering more than one-third of its total area. Research into the Neolithic in this region has taken longer to develop than in the eastern and southern coastal areas of Spain. The chapter presents two theories about the spread of the Neolithic: In the first, the spread of the Neolithic is explained as a result of the colonization of a previously depopulated region, the second sees the Neolithic as a result, of a diffusionist process but places emphasis upon the role of an indigenous Mesolithic hunter-gatherer population. Andaluca is a large region that occupies the southern part of Spain. The chapter explores information on crop processing or agrarian practices and finds that it is limited since chaff remains and weed seeds are poorly represented in the archaeobotani-cal record.
