The Ancient Near East focused on agriculture including crops like emmer wheat, barley, and beer production as early as 2500 BC. Animal husbandry was also important, utilizing oxen, donkeys, horses after 2000 BC, and sheep, goats and camels after 1000 BC. Evidence of this comes from clay tablets, papyrus, and later historians like Berossus of Babylon and Manetho of Sebennytos from the 3rd century BC, as well as the Hebrew Bible. Archaeological site names provide additional evidence despite challenges of inhabited areas, farming, terrain, costs, identification and politics.
