Historians and Archaeologists agree that the most important event since the last Ice Age, or indeed since the evolution of human beings from their hominid ancestors, was the rise of agriculture in the Fertile Crescent by 8000 B.C. The economic, political, and technological developments that followed provided the foundation upon which modern civilisations were built.

The crescent is bow shaped tract of land in southwest Asia stretching from Jordan northwards to southern Turkey, then swinging southwards to the borders of Iraq and Iran, incorporating parts of Israel, Palestine, Lebanon and Syria. The mountainous physical geography of the area was formed by movement of earth's crust, forcing the Arabian Peninsula to collide with stable Iranian Plateau, resulting in a fold mountain range.

The Fertile Crescent's importance in the history of the development of farming is intrinsically linked to its location on the globe. The crescent had both natural diversity and climatic advantages over other regions, placing it at the fore

The other regions where farming may have started independently (China, Mesoamerica, the Andes and the eastern United States) could have been equally, or even more fertile, but they were lacking the crescent's wide range of wild plants and animals available for domestication. Eurasia is the earth's largest single landmass and is therefore likely to have the greatest diversity in fauna and flora.

Bradley, C. "The Rise of Food Production". La Trobe University: 2001

At the end of the Pleistocene, wild sheep, goats, cattle and pigs roamed the uplands of the crescent, which in many areas supported dense stands of wild wheat and barley. The availability of these wild crops and animals, in close proximity to one another, enabled a balanced package of both crops and animals to be assembled relatively quickly and provide for the basic needs of all human beings: carbohydrates, protein, fat, transport and traction and fibre for rope and clothing.

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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1162
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)