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When did village farming become widespread in Southwest Asia?
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Origins of agriculture
Harvesting wheat on a farm in the grain belt near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. A potash mine appears in the distant background.
Village farming in Southwest Asia became widespread through a gradual transition that spanned several millennia. While incipient cultivation and animal domestication were underway by approximately 9000 BCE, an effective food-producing village-farming way of life was established in parts of the region by at least 7000 BCE.1
The development of these communities involved several key stages:
- Early Transition: By 10,000 BP (roughly 8000 BCE), populations in Southwest Asia had become increasingly dependent on cultigens. Sites such as Jericho show a progression from hunting camps to organized communities of 2,000–3,000 people by 8000 BCE.23
- Effective Village Farming: By 7000 BCE, sites like Jarmo in Iraqi Kurdistan provide clear evidence of permanent, settled village life. These settlements featured multi-roomed houses, the cultivation of wheat and barley, and the herding of domesticated animals such as sheep, goats, and pigs.34
- Regional Expansion: As sedentary life supported population growth, farming communities expanded from the hilly border regions into the plains, eventually leading to the complex social and political organizations of Mesopotamia.24