Agriculture through the Ages: From Silk to Supermarkets

"For of all gainful professions, nothing is better, nothing more pleasing, nothing more delightful, nothing better becomes a well-bred [person] than agriculture."—Marcus Tullius Cicero, ancient Roman orator, ca. 44 BCE

"There is the place where his fruit trees are grown tall and flourish, pear trees and pomegranate trees and the flourishing olive."—Homer, Odyssey, eighth century BCE

Around 10,000 years ago, humans began settling down and growing food in one place. This practice is called agriculture, and it made building large cities and complex societies possible. Throughout our history, humans have developed technologies to grow, process, and store food.

Agriculture led to further developments in civilizations. Ancient peoples developed math techniques to count crops, created writing systems to record food stores, and invented machines to move water and harvest their fields. Whether developing new growing techniques or improving past technologies, ancient civilizations found creative ways to feed their people.

From growing plants and raising animals side-by-side to building complex harvesting machines, discover the ancient agricultural techniques that led to the many delicious cuisines of the modern world.