The Seed

More than 17,000 years ago, humans gathered the seeds of plants and ate them. After rubbing off the "glumes," or husks, early people simply chewed the kernels raw, parched or simmered. Wheat originated in the "cradle of civilization" in the Tigris and Euphrates river valley, near what is now Iraq. More than 8,000 years ago, Swiss lake dwellers ground and mixed early wheat with water, then baked it to make unleavened cakes or bread. The Egyptians reveal both wheat and the discovery of leavened bread in ancient tombs almost 5,000 years old. The Chinese record growing wheat in 2,700 B.C.

The Roman goddess, Ceres, who was deemed protector of the grain, gave grains their common name today - "cereal." Seven cereal grains largely sustain and nourish humankind. Six of these are part of primitive history. Oldest to youngest, they are millet, oats, barley and wheat, with rye and maize, or corn, following. Rice has a history all its own. Wheat is now the principal sustaining grain for people all over the world. Credit for its first discovery and cultivation cannot be given to any certain person or place. However, archaeologists can come close.

Wheat's earliest ancestors are wild einkorn, or "one-seed" and emmer. Archeologists have found kernels of both wild and cultivated einkorn and emmer in excavated villages in Egypt and southwestern Asia's Fertile Crescent, the area between the upper reaches of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

Archeological discoveries such as the one at Abu Hureyra - in what is now northern Syria - provide insight into how early Neolithic people, beginning from about 10,000 to 9,500 years ago, moved from being gatherers to farmers. They began by cultivating the grains of einkorn, emmer, oats, and barley, as well as the edible seeds, or pulses, of chickpeas and lentils.

The ability to cultivate grain marked the beginning of civilization. Once people settled in one place, crafts, arts and communication - both verbal and written - flourished. Religious practices, economic and political power, and even wars resulted, making the availability and control of wheat a vital part of human history.

Image Library

Kernel of Wheat
Cross Section View of Wheat