In 2009, archaeologists discovered what is believed to be the world’s oldest known granary, a building in which grain and other foods are stored for extended periods. Located just off the shores of the Dead Sea in Jordan, researchers believe this granary to be more than 11,000 years-old (for perspective, 11,000 years ago sabre-tooth tigers and wooly mammoths still roamed the Midwest).
The development of granaries in the ancient world mark what is perhaps the greatest evolutionary shifts in human history. Before the development of granaries, people were nomadic; moving from place to place...