Abstract
Some eleven thousand years ago hunter–gatherers in the Near East initiated their transition to farming using an assemblage of eight founder crops: three cereals, four legumes and flax. The evidence show that each of these plant species was brought into domestication once or mostly twice, with no further redomestication. It seems that these species were carefully chosen by humans from the many hundreds of plants used. Apparently, these eight crops were those that best responded to the sowing–reaping agrotechnique, reflecting the biological factors that were later manifested in the success of these founder crops. While changing their own life style, the novel, successful farmers have gained extra food, prestige, property, power, and as a result more spouses and children, eventually leading to their higher biological fitness. This in turn led to the expansion of agriculture either by idea diffusion or by the dispersal of the farmers themselves with their original founder crops. Farming has dispersed to Europe, Asia and North Africa during the following millennia. Concurrently, other remote hunter–gatherer populations in additional worldwide centers, notably East Asia and the Americas have also moved to farming life, conceiving local plant species and the relevant agrotechniques. Regarding the life history of the various cultivated plant species and the capabilities of our ancestors it is suggested that the simplest explanation for the beginning of agriculture in the new worldwide centers is the idea diffusion to these remote areas.
Published Version
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