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364 History

Farming began c. 9,000 BCE on land that

became known as the. FERTILE CRESCENT.

Hunter-gatherers, who were travelling in

the area in search of food, began to harvest

(gather) wild grains they found growing

there. They scattered spare grains on the

ground to grow more food.

HOW DID FARMING CHANGE PEOPLE’S LIVES?

Before farming, people lived by hunting wild

animals and gathering wild plants. When supplies

ran out, these hunter-gatherers moved on.

Farming meant that people did not need to travel

to find food. Instead, they began to live in settled

communities, and grew crops or raised animals

on nearby land. They built stronger, more permanent

homes and surrounded their settlements with

walls to protect themselves.

HOW DID PEOPLE BECOME BETTER FARMERS?

By around 8500 BCE, people were storing grains during

the winter, then sowing them in specially cleared

plots. By 8000 BCE, the farmers had discovered which

grains gave the best yields and selected these ones

for planting. They produced more food than they

needed and were able to feed non-farmers such as

craftworkers and traders. The farmers exchanged their

food for various kinds of useful or decorative goods.

WHICH PLANTS DID THE FIRST FARMERS GROW?

In the Fertile Crescent, farmers grew tall, wild grasses,

including an early type of barley, and primitive

varieties of wheat called emmer and einkorn. These

naturally produced large grains (seeds) that were tasty

and nourishing. In other parts of the world, between

8000 BCE and 3000 BCE, farmers discovered how to

. DOMESTICATE their own local plants and animals.

1 THE WALLS OF JERICHO

The settlement of Jericho was founded c. 9000 BCE by farmers, who built

walls 3 m (10 ft) thick around it, with a tower 9 m (30 ft) high. Jericho

was close to a natural spring, which provided water for their fields.

2 FOOD GRAINS

Einkorn and emmer produce grains (seeds) that fall from

the ear (seed head) when they are ripe. Seeing this happen

probably inspired the first farmers to experiment with

different methods of scattering and planting grains.

MOULDED HEAD 3

This human head statue, from

around 7000 BCE, was probably

made to show respect for an

ancestor. Many statues like this

have been found at Jericho. They

give us clues as to how people in

early farming communities lived.

Early Farming

Base of round

tower that formed

part of Jericho’s

ancient walls

Plaster spread

over real

human skull

Eyes made

of shells from

the Red Sea

Ripe grains

from ear

of einkorn

EINKORN

EMMER

Ear of

einkorn

early

farming