Origins of agriculture, urbanisation and gardening.

Agriculture began, in Mesopotamia, about 10,000 BC and was well established by 5,000BC. It reached northern Europe c3500 BC, in what is known as the Bronze Age. The typical dwelling of this period was a circular hut with a stockade. Humans and animals shared the protection from wild animals and marauding neighbours. This would have made it difficult to grow plants, except in special enclosures made for this purpose.

Gothein deals with Ancient Egypt, in Chapter 1, before reviewing Mesopotamia in Chapter 2. This may reflect the nineteenth century perception that civilisation spread from Egypt. It is now thought that agriculture may have developed in Ethopia and Mesopotamia is known to have developed agriculture and urbanisation long before Egypt. Nevertheless, the oldest accurate records of gardens come from Egypt.

See R.W. Wenke Patterns in prehistory: mankind's first three million years (1980)