Agriculture

Edit Definition

Definition

Identifying an exact origin of agriculture remains problematic because the transition from hunter-gatherer societies began thousands of years before the invention of writing. It isn't until after 9,500 BCE that the eight so-called founder crops of agriculture appear: first emmer and einkorn wheat, then hulled barley, peas, lentils, bitter vetch, chick peas and flax. These eight crops occur more or less simultaneously on sites in the Levant, although the consensus is that wheat was the first to be sown and harvested on a significant scale.

By 7000 BCE, sowing and harvesting reached Mesopotamia and there, in the fertile soil just north of the Persian Gulf, Sumerians systematized it and scaled it up. By 6000 BCE farming was entrenched on the banks of the Nile River.

In Europe, there is evidence of emmer and einkorn wheat, barley, sheep, goats and pigs that suggest a food producing economy in Greece and the Aegean by 7000 BCE. Archaeological evidence from various sites on the Iberian peninsula suggest the domestication of plants and animals between 6000 and 4500 BCE. Céide Fields in Ireland, consisting of extensive tracts of land enclosed by stone walls, date to 5500 BCE and are the oldest known field systems in the world.

Based on Wikipedia content that has been reviewed, edited, and republished. Last reviewed by Jan van der Crabben on 28 April 2011. Please help and improve this definition!

Donate and help us!

We're a non-profit organisation and we need your help! This website costs money and research material isn't cheap either. We are supported only by our donors. Please consider donating; even small amounts help. Thank you!

Peer Review

Are you qualified to peer review ancient history information? Apply now and help provide quality ancient history information on the web!

Articles

Article

Agriculture in Ancient Greece

by no username
published on 18 January 2012
Agriculture was the foundation of the Ancient Greek economy. Nearly 80% of the population was involved in this activity. Agriculture permeated the Greek world to such an extent that it gave birth to a way of life which persisted throughout Antiquity.During the early part of Greek history, as shown in the Odyssey, Greek agriculture - and diet - was based... [continue reading]
Article

Agriculture in the Fertile Crescent

by Jan van der Crabben
published on 23 February 2011
The ancient Near East, and the Fertile Crescent in particular, is generally seen as the birthplace of agriculture. In the fourth millennium BC this area was more temperate than it is today, and it was blessed with fertile soil, two great rivers (the Euphrates and the Tigris), as well as hills and mountains to the north. The region was highly diverse... [continue reading]
Article

New light on Neolithic revolution in south-west Asia

by Trevor Watkins
published on 18 December 2012
Shortly after his retirement from a distinguished career in the Department of Archaeology at Edinburgh, the author gave the Rhind Lectures for 2009, bringing together his thoughts about the Neolithic revolution, and comparing Childe’s ideas with today’s. These lectures, summarised here, announced the modern vision to a wide audience. It... [continue reading]
Article

Roman Agricultural Magic

by Britta K. Ager
published on 19 April 2012
In this dissertation, I examine the magical practices of Roman farmers, primarily through the Latin farming manuals; topics include the magical practices which the Roman agronomists recommend to farmers, the relationship of this material to other genres of magic such as curses and amulets, and how its inclusion in technical handbooks is part of the authors&rsquo... [continue reading]
Article

Meager Returns: Agricultural Wages in Roman Egypt

by Edward Fox
published on 18 January 2012
In February 247A.D, Eirenaios the manager (phrontistes) of a unit of the large estate belonging to Aurelius Appianus in the Fayum part of Egypt recorded in his account book that for the month he had employed 500 days of labor from workers unaffiliated with the estate. He paid them 2 drachmae a day. Unlike payments made to permanent employees of the estate... [continue reading]
More Articles
Add Illustration

Illustrations

Threshing of Grain in Egypt Plowing Egyptian Farmer Map of the Fertile Crescent Satyrs Making Wine Map of the World in 1000 BCE Phaistos, Crete Stone for harvest offerings

Interesting Pages

You might also find the following pages interesting...

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Recommend Book

Agriculture Books

 
More Books

Comments

Please log in or register to post comments. Sadly this is necessary to prevent comment spam. Alternatively, you can use the comments widget below.

Advertisement

Why ads? / Advertise Here
Add Event

Timeline

Visual Timeline
  • 10000 BCE
    Beginnings of agriculture in the Middle East.
  • 9000 BCE
    Wild sheep flocks are managed in the Zagros mountains.
  • 9000 BCE
    Cultivation of wild cereals in the Fertile Crescent.
  • 7700 BCE
    First domesticated wheats in the Fertile Crescent.
  • 7000 BCE
    Domestication of goats.
  • 6700 BCE
    Domestication of sheep.
  • 6500 BCE
    Domestication of pigs.
  • c. 6500 BCE
    Cultivation of peas in the Eastern Mediterranean.
  • c. 6000 BCE
    First irrigation.
  • 6000 BCE
    Domestication of cattle.
  • 5000 BCE
    Irrigation and agriculture begin in earnest in Mesopotamia.
  • c. 5000 BCE
    Cultivation of peas in Europe.
  • 5000 BCE
    Organised farming begins in Egypt.
  • 5000 BCE
    Villages arise in China around the Yellow river. Terraced farming begins and rice is cultivated.
  • 4500 BCE
    Invention of the plow.
  • 4000 BCE
    Use of wool for textiles.
  • 3500 BCE
    Farming has spread across Europe.
  • c. 2700 BCE
    Corn is first cultivated in Mesoamerica.
  • 2000 BCE
    Domesticated horses introduced in Mesopotamia.
  • 1500 BCE
    Pastoral farming spreads across Eurasian steppes.
  • 1345 BCE
    The world's first manual on training horses is written by the Mitanni horse trainer Kikkuli (found in Hattusa).