We suppose that our ancient ancestors ceased their nomadic ways because they started planting seeds and therefore had no choice but to settle down in order to care for their crops. However, the discovery of Göbekli Tepe and other ancient sites built by hunter-gatherers across the Levant has turned this idea on its head. We now know that permanent settlements came first, and then, many years later, farming arose. We were living in villages with booming populations, building giant temples, creating great works of art, sharing our technology for centuries before it occurred to us to grow our
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