About 10,000 years ago in the Near East, the first roots of civilization were planted along with the first crops of wheat and barley. What happened next is a matter of debate. Some archaeologists believe that once people started domesticating crops, the practice spread rapidly across the Near East. Others argue for a much more gradual adoption. A new study lends strong credence to this latter view and suggests that early farmers were cultivating wild plants for a millennium or more before their harvests began to resemble today's domesticated crops.
Also check out some of the links on Willcox's web site, especially the bibliography of near eastern archaeobotany by Naomi Miller.