Domestication of plants in the Neolithic Middle East is often explained in economic terms, as a labour-saving device or an attempt at food conservation. In the light of new finds (see main story), this long accepted explanation is no longer convincing. It now appears that the human mindset began to change before the economy changed. It began with nomadic hunters and gatherers coming together for ritual purposes at places like Cbbekli Tepe. As some laboured, probably seasonally, on the construction of the monuments, others gathered wild grains to feed them. Some grain dropped nearthe temporary settlement. By a process of repetition and gathering the nearest plants first, wheat was gradually and accidentally domesticated.
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