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11,700 BCE
End of climate cooling cycle
The end of the Lesser Dryas period of global cooling, in the Quaternary Ice Age, leads highland hunter/gathering groups to gather in river valleys, such as the Tigris and Euphrates, where prey animals and wild-harvested food continues to flourish. -
10,000 BCE
Beginnings of Agriculture
Initially by selectively breeding particularly successful wild grasses, human groups learn to domesticate a variety of fruits and cereals. This causes them to stay put in one geographical location. -
8000 BCE
Invention of Pottery
After harnessing fire for food preparation and to heat newly-stable shelters, some groups turn their attention to heating clay mixes in various shapes for use in household production and storage and later on for artistic purposes. -
7500 BCE
Long-Distance Trade
Groups begin to encounter others outside their immediate geographical area and trade objects specific to their own areas. The date of 7,500 BCE is the first evidence of long-distance trade in obsidian, a volcanic stone. -
7500 BCE
Long-Distance Trade
Over the next 1,000 years, settled agriculturalists expand their husbandry efforts to include a variety of animals in addition to a growing suite of plants and foreign goods. -
7000 BCE
Domestication of Oxen, Pigs, Cattle, Sheep and Goats
Over the next 1,000 years, settled agriculturalists expand their husbandry efforts to include a variety of animals in addition to a growing suite of plants. -
6000 BCE
Discovery of Irrigation
The control of annual flooding, followed by dry seasons, is implemented. -
4500 BCE
Invention of Plow
The moldboard plow is used to harness the power of a domesticated animal to cut through a line of earth more deeply than a hoe or simple scraping plow. This allows nutrient-rich soil below a dry layer to rise to the top and be useful for agriculture.