Cultivation and domestication of wild grains in the Near East in the Neolithic era (10.000-5000BC)

Abstract

<> Knowing about the cultivation and domestication of wild grains is one of the most important achievements made by man during the Neolithic era. And there is no doubt that the importance of this achievement lies in its direct connection with everything related to human life in terms of health, stability and high population density. In view of the multiplicity of types of grains, and the difficulty of providing a specific date for the beginning of the Neolithic era throughout the earth, the scope of this research will be confined to the ancient Near East region. Thus, the tenth millennium BC is the beginning of this era in this specific region according to most archaeologists. As for the type of grain targeted in the study, it is the type that is known then and still exists, is wheat and barley. The region's topography and climate, along with the acquired knowledge, played an important role in driving the inhabitants to stability and settlement which in turn made possible the cultivation and domestication of grain. This research aims to focus on the cultivation and domestication of wild grains to identify the first steps of man towards stability using the historical narrative method; in tracing the contributions of the early farmers towards acquiring the knowledge of grain cultivation as well as the invention and development of the tools used in this field. In addition to that man benefited from the mental stock which he acquired from repeated observations in laying the foundations for its domestication. One of the most important results which sprung out of this research is that, the attained knowledge of the cultivation and domestication of wild grains is considered one of the greatest human achievements in the Neolithic era, and that human civilization indebted to the ancient Near East for these unprecedented achievements that have far-reaching consequences; Religiously, socially, economically and technically.