Ten Thousand Years of Wheat Cultivation How did wheat become part of our lives wealth and war
In World War I, the great industrial powers of the world were face to face and they had all kinds of weapons to humiliate each other. But there is an opinion that between these parties with 'equal power', the war that claimed the lives of millions of people was decided by hunger and the decisive weapon was wheat. but how?
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| Ten Thousand Years of Wheat Cultivation wheat become part lives wealth and war |
During the war, Britain estimated the source of food for its enemy Germany and concluded that if it cut off its food supply, Britain could fight the war without using more military resources. Germany, on the other hand, decided to launch a major offensive against France to deal with the blockade of food supplies by Allied forces, so that the war could end before its food supplies ran out.
But the war dragged on, with no one on either side working in the fields, and hunger spread throughout Europe.
American geologist Professor Catherine Zbinski wrote in her book Amber Views, based on the story of wheat, that the German food blockade continued after the 1918 Ceasefire Agreement. "Similarly, months passed and the Allies threatened to starve and forced Germany to sign the Treaty of Versailles.
This was not the first time nor the last time that man took control of the food source to subdue man.
Until the Versailles agreement, the German people could have blamed their government for the hunger, but after the difficult terms of the ceasefire agreement and the delay in lifting the food blockade, "now the Allies are to blame for the hunger." Hitler and the Nazi Party came to power, taking advantage of this anger.
It was not surprising that food autonomy was on the agenda of the new German government. "Hitler wanted Germany to have as large arable land as the European settlers got in North America," writes Zbinsky.
And with that in mind, he turned his attention to Ukraine, which was famous for its fertility and devised a plan to produce enough food to meet the needs of the German people and army.
It was in this context that World War II broke out. But the plan failed.
After four years of World War II, "German soldiers were starving and women and children were starving.
World War I and the search for food in Europe: The purpose of wheat and other crops was to free man from the struggle of hunting and hunting in the morning and evening so that he could build permanent settlements, give birth to civilizations. They themselves had become a weapon to keep man hungry
The atrocities of World War II have been described, preserved for history, and remembered so that future movements based on nationality, religion or color can provoke inhumane emotions in human beings."
The purpose of wheat and other crops was to free man from the struggle of hunting and hunting for food in the morning and evening so that he could build permanent settlements, give birth to civilizations but it has become a weapon to keep man hungry. Were
Zbinsky writes that "the human story of wheat was discolored, at the beginning of which man miraculously discovered for the first time that the grains hanging on grass-like plants could serve as food, then that the grass How to cultivate and how to grow large fields on different seasons and different types of land.
He writes that this story of wheat coming into human life started thousands of years ago in Turkey today. The swaying grass in the shade of the oak trees was different from any other grass. This type of grass changed human history. The grass that grows on the silent hills of Turkey is the ancestor of the wheat that is grown in different parts of the world today.
Germany looked to Ukraine, famous for its fertility, and devised a plan to produce enough food to meet the needs of the German people and army.
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| Man first grew wheat |
When man first grew wheat
When did humans start farming and what did they grow? According to various estimates, there are between ten and twenty places in the world where humans started farming locally and grew crops for their own needs and all had different methods. ۔
But as for wheat, Zbinsky has beautifully illustrated the beginning of the story of wheat in his book. This is a scene we will have to look at thousands of years later on the banks of the Euphrates River in the mountain range Zagros, which stretches across Turkey and Syria.
Our destination is a place three days away from Aleppo which is later called Abu Hurairah in history. It is one of the few places in the world where, according to the evidence, man was the first to grow grain for his own needs.
From here you can see the Euphrates River up to 30 km to the northwest and up to 10 km to the east. The river bed is wide and the flow is fast, especially in spring when the snow on the Zagros Mountains melts and red and khaki mud flows away.
The riverbanks are covered with lush green reeds and moist grass or fluttering flowers and seagulls and other birds can be seen in the water. Piles of willow trees are slowing down the flow of water. Away from the river, there is a forest of poplar and ah trees, which provide shelter in winter. Tree, bush, and meadow are visible as far as the surface of the river.
The area was protected from floodwaters due to its high altitude and close to a fertile riverbed.
Experts estimate that due to the fertility of the area, the early inhabitants of Abu Huraira did not need to cultivate anything and subsisted on hunting and picking fruits as there were probably 120 species of plants growing there. '
According to Zbinsky, the story of the wheat begins thousands of years ago on the banks of the Euphrates River in the mountain range Zagros, which stretches across Turkey and Syria.
How did man know about wheat for the first time? It is difficult to say with certainty. But Zbinsky, helping us with this, writes: Imagine that thirteen thousand years ago you were looking for food in a state of hunger and your eyes fell on a grass that was bent under the weight of its grains.
The seeds fall when you move. But when you try to eat them, it looks like your teeth will break. You break it with a big rock. But then gradually you realize that it is easier to break these seeds after dipping them in water or cooking them on fire.
However, remember that man was still far from cultivating wheat. "There were two varieties of wheat seeds that were found naturally in Abu Hurairah and which were later cultivated by our forefathers, Ian Corn and Emer."
After being cultivated and eaten for thousands of years, ion corn became unpopular. It is also grown on less fertile land but due to the hardness of its grains it has come to be used as animal feed. "Nowadays, all over the world, ion corn is being specially cultivated and used to make biscuits and crackers, as we are once again interested in the food of our ancient ancestors."
After reading all this about the beginning of wheat in human life, 13,000 years later, if one wants to enjoy this scene today, it is not possible, because Abu Huraira is now lost under the deep water.
Zbinski explains that the lake was built in 1973 for the Tabaqa Dam in Syria and is located at the bottom of the country's largest lake. Even the area around this lake called Asad today does not offer the view that could have been seen there 13,000 years ago.
He wrote in his book that what we know about Abu Huraira was discovered by excavations starting in 1971, which was abruptly halted on completion of the dam in 1973. During the excavations, archaeologists collected organic matter from here and poured water into large tubs. The soil sank into the water, while seeds and plant debris floated to its surface.
"Experts have been analyzing them for decades and finding out the type and history of these ingredients with the help of the latest technology. Excavations revealed that the site was home to humans 13,000 years ago and remained there for another 1,500 years. Then about ten thousand five hundred years ago ... Man settled here again and remained so for another 2500 years
So how did farming start for the first time in Abu Hurairah?
Zbinski writes that hundreds of years had passed since the first population in Abu Hurairah when the weather around the world changed rapidly and became cold and dry. And it made a huge difference in people's lives.
Due to this change, the remnants of the plants found in Abu Hurayrah's fireplaces indicate a change in the diet of the people. Traces of forest plants and trees disappear from these places and are replaced by seeds and plants that can withstand drought. Within a few centuries of the cold weather, the grains around these stoves have dwindled.
Zbinsky points out that the earliest evidence of agriculture is probably found here during this period. One explanation for this is that with the decline of naturally occurring wheat and other plants, people started cultivating porridge for themselves.
She writes that there is a difference of opinion among the experts about agriculture in the first period of human settlement in Abu Hurairah but there is no doubt about the second period of human settlement here that agriculture used to take place in that period.
In the second period of Abu Huraira, people initially collected wild plants and hunted deer. Apart from rye, he used to cultivate three types of wheat with millet, pulses, peas and lentils.
It is not surprising that food autonomy has been included in the agenda of the new German government
Zbinski writes that Abu Hurairah was emptied about eight thousand years ago due to the dry weather in the Euphrates River valley. "We do not know where the people of Abu Huraira went and what they did."
According to him, the best conclusion of Abu Huraira's story that we can imagine is that despite the cessation of life in this small village on the banks of the Euphrates, the lifestyle of its inhabitants went with them to new places. However, they did not suffer from wheat seed migration. They took the story to the Middle East, the Balkans, and the Danube.
Zbinsky writes in his book, published in 2020, that every new archaeological discovery adds to our understanding, and it is possible that in the next ten years our views will be very different from today.
Continuing the story, Zbinsky writes that an important milestone in the story of food was the invention of pottery.
The area around this lake called Assad in Syria today does not offer the view that could have been seen there thirteen thousand years ago. Abu Huraira is now lost in the deep water
After the arrival of the pots, the seeds were soaked until they became soft. Evidence of pottery is found in Abu Hurairah eight thousand years ago. In the human remains found after this period, the teeth are found in better condition than before.
But the only type of wheat that left Emmer and Ion Corn behind was Bradweight. Earlier, farmers could not cultivate this seed because it did not exist then. Brad Weight is thought to have originated eight thousand years ago in the field of Emmer. Apparently as a result of a combination of another type of Emerald flower. It happened without human intervention. "
"Today, the world produces about 700 million tons of wheat annually, of which 95% is wheat bread."
Emer was more fortunate than Ian Corn, and was popular with the ancient Egyptians, and at the time of the Pharaohs' burial, the seeds of life after death were kept in their tombs.
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| Future wheat crop was human hands |
An image in an Egyptian tomb dating to about 1400 BC
The future of the wheat crop was now in human hands
The key to the evolutionary process of this "grass" was in human hands once it was seen by humans in these mountains of Turkey.
The man picking seeds in the fields realized that energy could be obtained by grinding the seeds and kneading the white powder obtained from it. Just like today we get flour from the mill and make bread from it.
Once man understood the power of this 'grass', he took it with him wherever he went. From the mountain ranges of Turkey, the seed traveled to humans and spread to other parts of the world.
Agriculture changed everything for wheat. His crop was now being monitored. Its seeds were carefully sown. The plants and herbs that grew in comparison with it in the land were being cleared. Water was also given when needed and its seeds were being stored for the next year after one crop.
The realization that wheat could also be a form of trade led to many changes in agriculture. Man's own life also changed. Where previously there was a struggle to bring food from one time to another, now he was in a position to produce and store more food. The man who used to provide food only for himself or his family was now able to produce food for the whole group.
But more hands were needed for all this, and Zbinsky writes that it is quite possible that many levels of wages were created with the beginning of agriculture.
In West Asia, between 9,500 and 7,500 BC, in the first 2,000 years of agriculture and animal husbandry, the human population on earth increased tenfold. Humans now have access to adequate amounts of carbohydrates, and the need to move families, including young children, from one place to another has disappeared. As villages and populations grew, people moved from the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates to Anatolia, now part of Turkey.
"It is no coincidence that our first civilizations and cities were founded on a single seed of grass (wheat, barley, rye, rice and later corn)," writes Zbinsky.
Wheat, wealth, cities and kingdoms
There are many opinions as to why humans built cities.
Zbinski explains that one of the theories based on research is that climate change has led to water shortages in the region, resulting in food shortages.
"In food shortages, people are more willing to accept a political authority and organized state that makes them a food production and supply system. And the organized army provides protection and control to the people of such a state. "
"Wheat and our ability to produce it have made it possible to produce enough food to support states and powerful governments."
Zbinsky writes that the first major water system on the banks of the Euphrates, of which there is clear evidence, was built 5,000 years before Christ. It required thousands of hours of labor. The result of this water system was surplus food and it had two consequences: increase in population and trade.
The timber from Lebanon and the copper from what is now Turkey began to flow there, and the animals and skins began to be exchanged with the gypsies. The result of the trade was that people started making things to exchange with food.
Citing some experts, he wrote that the state came into being as a result of agricultural needs. But the necessary infrastructure for agriculture was already in place when people dug canals on a small scale as per their need. Under the auspices of the state, it was necessary for the farmers to produce food for all. "Ownership of agricultural land was as big a question for the Sumerians, Greeks and Romans as it is for today's people."
Zebinsky writes that the land records of 3,000 BC before the Samir civilization show that many families were allotted so much agricultural land that they could not cultivate it on their own. In this way it was possible for some families to accumulate more wealth than others.
The ancient peasants were lost in history
But what was the method of agriculture of the first farmers of ancient times and what they ate, can only be guessed. At least until the time when writing began, and when writing did begin, Zbinsky says, the record that followed was about the great civilizations where large-scale organized farming took place. The majority of human beings, who were far from the jurisdiction of the first urban empires, democracies and empires, were under-represented in these writings.
The first written record of daily life is found in the Samir civilization on the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates in 3000 BC. The method of cultivation, composition of food ingredients and calculations are detailed on the clay tablets found here. "Everything you note on a slip of paper is listed."
"A concerted effort was needed to provide food for the large urban population on an annual basis. At the same time, food storage was essential for years of poor harvests.
These earthen plates also stated, "How much distance is required between two rows of crop, what is the proper number of seeds in a row and how deep they should be sown."
Sameer farming was famous for its dams and canals. There was less rainfall here than in the areas above the river where agriculture started, so the people here would collect water in the spring which they would then use for later crops.
As the source of food increased, so did the human population, and with the increase in arable land, so did the number of seeds and manpower.
The grass that our elders used to grow for bread, porridge and alcoholic beverages has become such a part of our lives that the desire to increase its production has given rise to new technologies and new ways of exploiting the farm laborers. Adopt it. '
The role of wheat in the story of imperialism
Wheat is also part of the story of imperialism because, according to Zbinsky, in recent centuries Europeans moved to new territories, often with its seeds for food of their choice.
"Even then, there were very few rich and powerful people in the society like today. And in the European agricultural system, the food production system also differentiated between rich and poor. If the poor farmer did not have the resources to cultivate his land, he had to work on the lands of the elite and produce the grain from which white flour was obtained. It made double bread that could absorb the flavors of rich people's soups. It was normal for these nawabs but their farm laborers were deprived of this blessing.
A new world was opening up for Europe, which took advantage of its resources and naval capabilities to conquer new territories for its royal families.
Referring to the United States, Zbinsky writes: "But the European imperialists had no interest in the methods of these new territories. They brought their tools and animals. But instead of using the land carefully to maintain the fertility of the land here, they cultivated the same crop over a wide area every year and then exported it to the developed world. The land was used until its fertility was exhausted. The imperialists did not care about the local population of the new areas and in case of loss of fertility in one place, the new areas would be cleared.
Wheat crossed the Atlantic Ocean, but the weather was not right for it. It could only be grown in a few places.
Wheat in the Northern Hemisphere came from Europe in 1660 with Puritan Christians. Its seeds tolerated the cold of Britain but could not withstand the severe cold of New England. In 1665, most of the crop was destroyed. The first settlers planted very little wheat but it is not that they did not try.
Experts say that the unimpressive performance of wheat in the New World was not surprising but it was 'impressive' that once it crossed the ocean it eventually spread to the continent of North America and its cultivation from
What was life like in Abu Huraira, what did the people there eat? We know all this from the tools found around the stoves outside their huts and the remains of animals and plants.
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