Timeline of agriculture and food technology

Timeline of agriculture and food technology

Neolithic Revolution

* 12,000 BC - Neolithic Revolution, the first agricultural revolution, begins in the ancient Near East
* 12,000 BC - Natufians in the Levant begin harvesting wild grasses.
* 9800 BC - Earliest evidence for domesticated wheat at PPNA sites in the Levant.
* 8500 BC - PPNB sites across the Fertile Crescent growing domestic wheat, barley, chickpeas, peas, beans, flax and bitter vetch. Sheep and goat domesticated.
* 7000 BC - agriculture had reached southern Europe with evidence of emmer and einkorn wheat, barley, sheep, goats, and pigs suggest that a food producing economy is adopted in Greece and the Aegean. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/02/eus/ht02eus.htm
* 7000 BC - Cultivation of wheat, sesame, barley, and eggplant in Mehrgarh (India/Pakistan).
* 7000 BC - Domestication of cattle and chicken in Mehrgarh, Indian subcontinent.
* 6800 BC - Rice domesticated in southeast Asia.
* 6500 BC - Evidence of cattle domestication in Turkey. Some sources say this happened earlier in other parts of the world
* 6000 BC Archaeological evidence from various sites on the Iberian peninsula suggest the domestication of plants and animals. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/02/eus/ht02eus.htm
* 6000 BC - Granary built in Mehrgarh for storage of excess food.
* 5500 BC Céide Fields in Ireland are the oldest known field systems in the world, this landscape consists of extensive tracts of land enclosed by stone walls. http://www.museumsofmayo.com/ceide.htm
* 5000 BC - Domestication of the horse in Ukraine
* 4000 BC - In Mehrgarh, the domestication of numerous crops, including peas, sesame seeds, dates, and cotton, as well as a wide range of domestic animals, including the Domestic Asian Water Buffalo, an animal that remains essential to intensive agricultural production throughout Asia today.
* 4000 BC - Egyptians discover how to make bread using yeast
* 4000 BC - Evidence for rice domestication in the Korat plateau area of northwestern Thailand
* 4000 BC - First use of light wooden ploughs in Mesopotamia
* 3500 BC - Irrigation was being used in Mesopotamia
* 3500 BC - First agriculture in the Americas, around Central Amazonia or Ecuador
* 3000 BC - Turmeric, cardamom, pepper and mustard are harvested in the Indus Valley Civilization (India/Pakistan).

* 3000 BC - Fermentation of dough, grain, and fruit juices is in practice.
* 3000 BC - Sugar produced in India

Antiquity

* 2600 BC - Large scale commercial timbering of cedars in Phoenicia (Lebanon) for export to Egypt and Sumeria. Similar commercial timbering in South India.
* 1700 BC - Wind powered machine developed by Babylonians
* 1300 BC - Creation of canal linking the Nile delta to the Red Sea
* 691 BC - First aqueduct (approx. 50 miles long) constructed to bring water to Nineveh.
* 530 BC - First Greek aqueduct (underground) http://www.bookrags.com/research/aqueduct-woi/
* 500 BC - The moldboard iron plough is invented in China
* 500 BC - Row cultivation of crops using intensive hoeing to weed and conserve moisture practised in China
* 300 BC - Efficient trace harness for plowing invented in China
* 200 BC - Efficient collar harness for plowing invented in China
* 100 BC - Rotary winnowing fan invented in China
* 100 BC - The multi-tube seed drill is invented in China
* AD 200 - The fishing reel invented in China
* 600 - The distillation of alcohol in China
* 607 - The Chinese begin constructing a massive canal system to connect the Yellow and Yangtze rivers

Arab Agricultural Revolution

* 640 - Arab Agricultural Revolution begins in the rapidly-expanding Arab Empire
* 644 - Muslim inventors develop a windmill, used to pump water for irrigation; [Ahmad Y Hassan, Donald Routledge Hill (1986). "Islamic Technology: An illustrated history", p. 54. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-42239-6.] Donald Routledge Hill, "Mechanical Engineering in the Medieval Near East", "Scientific American", May 1991, p. 64-69. (cf. Donald Routledge Hill, [http://home.swipnet.se/islam/articles/HistoryofSciences.htm Mechanical Engineering] )] this is a more advanced wind powered machine than that developed by the Babylonians
* 794 - Paper mill invented in Baghdad, Iraq
* 800 - Arabic chemists produce distilled water and purified waterGeorge Rafael, [http://archive.salon.com/books/feature/2002/01/08/alphabet/index.html A is for Arabs] , "Salon.com", January 8, 2002.]
* 800 - Pure alcohol (ethanol) as a pure compound is distilled by Arabic chemists such as Geber and Alkinduscite web |url=http://www.history-science-technology.com/Notes/Notes%207.htm |title=Alcohol and the Distillation of Wine in Arabic Sources |accessdate=2008-03-29 |last=Hassan |first=Ahmad Y |authorlink=Ahmad Y Hassan |work=History of Science and Technology in Islam]
* 850 - Use of coffee is known in Arabia
* 900 - Water turbine invented in the Arab Empire
* 900 - First wind powered gristmills built in present-day Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran
* 900 - Geared gristmills with trip hammers developed in the Arab Empire [Donald Routledge Hill (1996), "Engineering", p. 781, in Harv|Rashed|Morelon|1996|pp=751-95]
* 900 - First sugar refineries, driven by both water mills and windmills, invented in present-day Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran
*1000 - Sherbet, the first juiced and carbonated soft drink, is developed by Arabic chemists. [Juliette Rossant (2005), [http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200505/the.world.s.first.soft.drink.htm The World's First Soft Drink] , "Saudi Aramco World", September/October 2005, pp. 36-9] [http://www.1001inventions.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=main.viewBlogEntry&intMTEntryID=2889 The World's First Soft Drink.] 1001 Inventions, 2006.]
* 1000 - Cash croppingJairus Banaji (2007), "Islam, the Mediterranean and the rise of capitalism", "Journal Historical Materialism" 15 (1), pp. 47–74, Brill Publishers.] and the modern crop rotation system where land was cropped four or more times in a two-year period is introduced in the Arab EmpireAndrew M. Watson (1974), "The Arab Agricultural Revolution and Its Diffusion, 700–1100", "The Journal of Economic History" 34 (1), pp. 8–35.]
* 1000 - The Arab Empire introduced agricultural innovations such as new forms of land tenure, improvements in irrigation, a variety of sophisticated irrigation methods, [Elias H. Tuma (1987), "Agricultural Innovation in the Early Islamic World: The Diffusion of Crops and Farming Techniques, 700–1100" by Andrew M. Watson", "The Journal of Economic History" 47 (2), pp. 543–4.] the introduction of fertilizers and widespread artificial irrigation systems, the development of gravity-flow irrigation systems from rivers and springs,Thomas F. Glick (1977), "Noria Pots in Spain", "Technology and Culture" 18 (4), pp. 644–50.] the use of noria and chain pumps for irrigation purposes,Zohor Idrisi (2005), [http://www.muslimheritage.com/uploads/AgricultureRevolution2.pdf The Muslim Agricultural Revolution and its influence on Europe] , FSTC] the establishment of the sugar cane industry in the Mediterranean, and experimentation in sugar cultivation [J. H. Galloway (1977), "The Mediterranean Sugar Industry", "Geographical Review" 67 (2), pp. 177–94.]
* 1000 - Earliest factory milling installations built in Baghdad, IraqDonald Routledge Hill (1996), "Engineering", p. 783, in Harv|Rashed|Morelon|1996|pp=751-95]
* 1000 - Milling dam ("Pul-i-Bulaiti"), used to provide additional power for milling, built at Karun, IranDonald Routledge Hill (1996), "Engineering", p. 759, in Harv|Rashed|Morelon|1996|pp=751-95]
* 1050 - Flywheel-driven saqiya chain pump and noria developed by Ibn Bassal (fl. 1038-1075) of Al-Andalus [Ahmad Y Hassan, [http://www.history-science-technology.com/Notes/Notes%204.htm Flywheel Effect for a "Saqiya"] , "History of Science and Technology in Islam"]
* 1100 - Bridge mill (water mill built as part of the superstructure of a bridge) developed in Cordoba, Al-AndalusAdam Lucas (2006), "Wind, Water, Work: Ancient and Medieval Milling Technology", p. 62. BRILL, ISBN 9004146490.]
* 1100 - Spiral scoop-wheel, a device which raises large quantities of water to ground level with a high degree of efficiency, invented in Baghdad, Iraq [Donald Routledge Hill (1996), "Engineering", p. 774, in Harv|Rashed|Morelon|1996|pp=751-95]
* 1100 - Finery forge invented in Al-Andalus
* 1100 - First European factory milling installations built in Al-AndalusAdam Lucas (2006), "Wind, Water, Work: Ancient and Medieval Milling Technology", p. 65. BRILL, ISBN 9004146490.]
* 1206 - Al-Jazari invents the crankshaft and connecting rod, and employs them in a crank-connecting rod mechanism central to much of the machinery in the modern world;Ahmad Y Hassan. [http://www.history-science-technology.com/Notes/Notes%203.htm The Crank-Connecting Rod System in a Continuously Rotating Machine] , "History of Science and Technology in Islam".] he employs it in a piston pump which, for the first time, demonstrates the use of a suction pipe, the first application of the double-acting principle, and the first conversion of rotary to reciprocating motionAhmad Y Hassan. [http://www.history-science-technology.com/Notes/Notes%202.htm The Origin of the Suction Pump - Al-Jazari 1206 A.D.] "History of Science and Technology in Islam".]
* 1250 - Crank-driven screw and screwpump developed in the Arab world using Al-Jazari's crankshaft [Donald Routledge Hill (1996), "Engineering", p. 771, in Harv|Rashed|Morelon|1996|pp=751-95]
* 1559 - Taqi al-Din invents a six-cylinder 'Monobloc' pump, a hydropowered water-raising machine incorporating valves, suction and delivery pipes, piston rods with lead weights, trip levers with pin joints, and cams on the axle of a water-driven scoop-wheel [Donald Routledge Hill, "Engineering", p. 779, in Harv|Rashed|Morelon|1996|pp=751-95]

British Agricultural Revolution

* 1700 - British Agricultural Revolution begins in the United Kingdom
* 1809 - French confectioner Nicolas François Appert invents canning
* 1837 - John Deere invents steel plough
* 1863 - International "Corn Show" in Paris with corn varieties from different countries
* 1866 - Gregor Mendel publishes his paper describing Mendelian inheritance
* 1871 - Louis Pasteur invents pasteurization
* 1895 - Refrigeration for domestic and commercial food preservation introduced in the United States and the United Kingdom, respectively.
* 1930 - First use of aerial photos in Earth sciences and agriculture.

Green Revolution

* 1944 - Green Revolution begins in Mexico
* 2000 - Genetically modified plants cultivated around the world.
* 2005 - =

References

External links

* [http://www.intute.ac.uk/socialsciences/timeline_History_of_food.html Timeline - History of Food]
* [http://www.intute.ac.uk/timeline_Agriculture.html Timeline - Agriculture]
* [http://www.foodtimeline.org/ Global food timeline]
* [http://www.hup.harvard.edu/features/gabwea/timeline.html US only food timeline]

See also

* Broad spectrum revolution
* New World Crops
* Agriculture
* Neolithic founder crops
* Agricultural revolution
* Fertile Crescent
* Timeline of invention