The beginnings of agriculture

  • Period: 10,000 BCE to 8000 BCE

    10,000-8,000 BC

    Last Ice Age draws to a close
  • 8000 BCE

    8,000 BC

    Barley and wheat grown in Middle East
  • 7500 BCE

    7,500 BC

    Sheep and goats domesticated in western Iran
  • 6500 BCE

    6,500 BC

    Millet and rice grown in China; beans, squash and peppers in high-land Peru
  • Period: 6500 BCE to 6000 BCE

    6,500-6,000 BC

    Cattle herded in Middle East and North Africa
  • 6000 BCE

    6,000 BC

    Farming begins in south-east Europe and Nile valley. Irrigation used in Mesopotamia. Small towns found in places such as Jericho and Çatal and Höyük in Anatolia.
  • 5500 BCE

    5,500 BC

    Pigs reared in parts of Europe, the Middle East and China
  • 4700 BCE

    4,700 BC

    Maize grown in Mesomarica
  • 4400 BCE

    4,400 BC

    Horses domesticated on Eurasian steppes
  • 4300 BCE

    4,300 BC

    Cotton grown in Indus valley and Mesoamerica
  • 4000 BCE

    4,000 BC

    Agriculture spreads across Europe and sub-Saharan Africa
  • Period: 4000 BCE to 3000 BCE

    4000-3000 BC

    First cities in Mesopotamia