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| Three figs from Gilgal (left), Iran (middle), and Turkey (right) |
Israeli researchers have discovered figs that date back approximately 11,400 years in the Gilgal area, north of Jericho in the Middle East. These figs may have been dried before consumption, indicating they are the oldest evidence of agricultural activity.
To date, the earliest known cultivated plants are rice, barley, and various vegetables that originated around 10,000 years ago. Paleobotanist Mordechai Kislev and his colleagues from Bar-Ilan University compared these ancient figs with domesticated varieties.
They found that the figs in Gilgal are a mutated variety, as they do not drop from the tree but ripen on the tree, becoming soft and sweet. These figs are seedless, meaning that the seedlings need to be replanted.
According to the researchers, the intentional cultivation of these special figs aligns with the early stages of agriculture. Among the other food items discovered in Gilgal were acorns, wild oats, and wild barley.
