Civilization is said to have begun independently across the world at six sites, dubbed the cradle of civilization.
Two of these are in the Middle East, two in Asia, and two in the Americas.
At the heart of the Fertile Crescent lies the ancient settlement of Abu Hureyra.
The castle Qal’at Ja’bar on the banks of Lake Assad.
The people of Abu Hureyra 1 were from the Epipaleolithic era and were sedentary hunter gatherers.
But Abu Hureyra 2, the village which existed during early Neolithic times, was a village of farmers.
Evidence suggests that the first cereal to be cultivated was rye.
The village consisted of small round huts carved into the soft sandstone of the terrace.
Roofs were covered with brushwood and reeds supported with wooden poles.
Each hut had an underground storage area for keeping food.
The villagers hunted, fished and gathered wild plants.
The animals had to be skinned and the meat processed, and stored for consumption during lean periods.
Among plants they gathered included wild cereal grasses such as einkorn wheat, emmer wheat, and rye.
Location of Abu Hureyra.
Abu Hureyra remained abandoned for over one thousand years.
At the same time the wild seed varieties gathered as food by previous occupation gradually vanished.
Teeth recovered from the site also show microscopic wear that is consistent with that produced from eating cooked food.
Mortar and pestle used to grind cereal grains, from the Neolithic village of Abu Hureyra.
Photo:Zunkir/Wikimedia Commons
Bones told another story.
Skeletal deformities indicated signs of excessive strain because of carrying loads or kneeling for long hours grinding cereal grains.
It might have taken several hours of grinding to produce enough flour for just one meal.
Many finds from the excavations are now on display in the National Museum of Aleppo.
Remains of a dwelling at Abu Hureyra.
