Fig cultivation by cutting
Cultivo de la higuera por esqueje
- Date
- c. 9400 BCE · confidence medium
- Place
- Gilgal I, Jordan Valley, West Bank
- Credited to
- PPNA communities of the Jordan Valley
- Field
- Life & health
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
Parthenocarpic figs (with no fertile seed) found at Gilgal I, which can only propagate by planting cuttings, implying intentional cultivation. This would be the first plant domesticated by vegetative reproduction.
Kislev et al. (2006) propose domestication; other authors argue that parthenocarpic figs can arise spontaneously in wild populations.
What it led to
- Fruit-tree arboriculture and horticulture as a complement to cereals
- Long-term investment in the land that reinforces ownership and rootedness
- Storage of dried fruit as a calorie reserve
Built on
- Wild fruit gathering