Agriculture through the Ages: From Silk to Supermarkets

· Twenty-First Century Books TM
Ebook
80
Pages
Eligible
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About this ebook

"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.

About the author

Michael Woods is a science and medical writer whose nationally syndicated newspaper stories and columns have won numerous national awards. He directs a program at the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, to inform the public about science. He and his wife, Mary B. Woods, have written almost forty books together. Michael is the writer, and Mary is the researcher.

Mary B. Woods is an elementary school librarian in the Fairfax County (VA) Public School system. She has presented at international librarians' conferences. Mary has worked with her husband, Michael Woods, to write almost forty books. She is the researcher, and Michael is the writer.

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