Enriqueta Vento Mir – Pierre Guerin koord.: Early Farmers in Europe - A korai földművelők Európában (1999)
Foreword
ferent regions of Europe, each representing its own stage and characteristics: Hungary, Spain and the Netherlands. This catalogue is, in the first place, the work of the archaeologists involved. They offered the scientific basis for the other parts of the project. Keeping in mind the project objectives, however, they made the choice not to write for their fellow archaeologists, but for a large audience. The catalogue accompanies a travelling exhibition in the three centres involved: the Eger County Museum (Hungary), the Valltorta Rock Art Museum (Valencia) and the National Information Centre for Megalithic Monuments (Netherlands). All material is also being published in the project website <www.earlyfarmers.net>. As indicated above, the impressive prehistoric objects may form a tourist attraction. They can enrich the tourist potential of the regions involved. The Parque Cultural, in which the Valtorta centre is located, is near the Spanish coast. The stereotype image of such a region can be changed by the overwhelming richness of its cultural heritage. In the Netherlands the Megalithic monuments are too narrowly, in isolation, associated with only one province. By understanding these monuments as an aspect of a general and profoundly influential European cultural period the attraction can be stimulated. This will also be the main and underlying idea of a new museum to be built at this site. Though lacking eye-catching neolithic monuments, Hungary is a fundamental chain in the spreading of the agrarian way of life. We hope that the project, the exhibitions and all accompanying material will stimulate the further attention to this theme of Early Farmers. In a Europe rapidly losing its agrarian character and industrialising and dehumanising its food production - with all the consequences of this - paying attention to the cultural heritage of this influential period in our history may, like all history, broaden the scope of our idea about ourselves. HEIN KLOMPMAKER Director Hunebedden Informatie Centrum , Borger 8
