While these claims haven’t been substantiated, some people believe early farmers collected the plant species and seeds found in Egyptian caves that predate 17,000 B.C. Other scientists attribute the chard seed piles to foraging practices rather than early gardening. A 23,000-year-old camp on the shore of the Sea of Galilee offers similar findings. Oral tradition supports widespread belief in the existence of the Garden of Eden, which would predate these other two findings and force inseparable human existence and gardening.
Tangible proof of ancient agriculture is found in archeological digs that reveal plant cultivation – the separation of specific species for agricultural purposes – as early as 10,000 years ago. By 8000 B.C., the Fertile Crescent supported full-fledged farming of grains and vegetables.