Agriculture in the Fertile Crescent & Mesopotamia

Q: Why is the Fertile Crescent important to agriculture?

The Fertile Crescent is the region where the earliest agriculture arose in human history. This made it possible to feed a large non-farming population, leading to the rise of the first cities and empires.

Q: Why did agriculture start in the Fertile Crescent?

There was a natural abundance of grains and fruits suitable for human consumption in the Fertile Crescent. This combined with fertile soils around the rivers Euphrates and Tigris as well as a surrounding rainy hill country made it the ideal place to start farming.

Q: When did agriculture develop in the Fertile Crescent?

Around 11,300 BCE humans started cultivating fig trees, wheat and goats around 9000 BCE, peas and lentils around 8000 BCE, olives around 5000 BCE, and grapes around 3500 BCE. Until today about 90% of our calories come from this first wave of the agricultural revolution.

Jan van der Crabben

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Article:	Agriculture in the Fertile Crescent & Mesopotamia
Author:	Jan van der Crabben
Narrator:	Jan van der Crabben

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Jan van der Crabben

Jan is the Founder & Chairman of World History Encyclopedia and is the organisation's Director of Design & Technology. He holds an MA War Studies from King's College, and he has worked in the field of history-related digital media since 2006.

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About the Author

Jan van der Crabben

Jan is the Founder & Chairman of World History Encyclopedia and is the organisation's Director of Design & Technology. He holds an MA War Studies from King's College, and he has worked in the field of history-related digital media since 2006.

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Agriculture in the Fertile Crescent & Mesopotamia

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