Asia in 8000 BC

From hunting to farming from 8000 BC to 4000 BC: the origin of agriculture

The transition from hunting and gathering to farming irreversibly changed human society, and the domestication of animals and plants Each is conducted in several regions of the world. The world's earliest farming took place in the Levant in the Near East 10,000 years ago, and spread from here to Europe, North Africa and Central Asia.

At the end of the last ice age 10,000 years ago, the global population was only a few million, and human food came from wild animals and plants. After that, humans began to domesticate certain plants and animals. To this day, humans around the world rely on a relatively small number of plant and animal species for food. In the 150,000 years before the Agricultural Revolution, modern humans migrated across much of the Earth (see page 32). As foragers, they mastered the survival skills of using a variety of plants and animals for food. To obtain food, humans migrate seasonally in small groups. Population density has been low for thousands of years.

From foraging to farming

It was not until 8000 BC that some mobile foraging human groups settled down and lived in places that were conducive to life all year round. Populations began to increase as the suppressive effects of a seasonal migratory lifestyle were lifted. They don’t have to travel far to find food. This profound change in human behavior led to the beginning of farming, allowing a single piece of land to support more people. Of course, humans will spend more labor growing crops and domesticating animals. Settlement, population growth, and increased dependence on agriculture all led to the continued growth in the number and size of settlements, and also led to increasingly complex and unequal human societies, eventually moving toward urban life and civilization.

In the earliest farming remains, wild crops whose shapes and habits have been changed due to human intervention have been found. These crops are mainly cereals and legumes (peas, beans and other legumes) whose seeds provide carbohydrates and protein and are easy to store. They continued early human civilization and became the world's main agricultural product. These crops are cultivated from wild grasses in subtropical areas. For example, wheat, barley, lentils, peas, and chickpeas are cultivated in southwest Asia; rice, soybeans, and mung beans are cultivated in South and East Asia; sorghum, some millets, and cowpeas are cultivated in tropical Africa; and corn and some common beans are cultivated in Mexico. . Many areas where tuber crops are cultivated are also the birthplaces of agriculture. For example, potatoes in the Andes have now become a major crop in temperate regions, as well as cassava, yams, taro, and sweet potatoes, all originally produced in the tropics.

Domestication of animals

Although cereals and tuber crops were later brought to all human settlements except Australia (such farming was brought to Australia by European immigrants in the 18th century) , but the domestication of animals only occurred in a few areas, mainly in West Asia. There is evidence that sheep, goats, pigs, cattle, and later donkeys, horses, and camels were domesticated there earlier. Some breeds of pigs and cattle, as well as chickens, were also domesticated in South and East Asia. It is possible that Europe also domesticated cattle and pigs. There are fewer domesticated animals in the Americas. There are turkeys in North America and llamas, alpacas, and guinea pigs in South America. No domesticated animals have been found in tropical Africa and Australia.

The expansion of farming

Archaeological evidence shows that the earliest agriculture occurred in the "Fertile Crescent" zone of Southwest Asia, dating back to the Neolithic Age in 8000 BC. Burnt barley seeds and wheat husks were found at the Levant site, along with wheat and various legumes, as well as the bones of domesticated goats and sheep. Radiocarbon dating shows that cereal cultivation began about 1,000 years before the domestication of goats and sheep. Dependence on agriculture gradually increased, and at the same time, village settlement forms also expanded. Irrigation and terrace technology were developed, and some fruits such as dates, figs, grapes, and olives were cultivated. By the end of the Neolithic Age in Southwest Asia, about 6,000 years ago, agriculture had expanded east and west to Europe, North Africa, Central Asia, and South Asia, where more new crop varieties were added.