It seems human beings made their first steps in farming 23,000 years ago, as opposed to 13,000 years ago as previously believed. That would make the date approx 21,000 BC.
bq. Stone Age people in Israel collected the seeds of wild grasses some 10,000 years earlier than previously recognised, experts say. These grasses included wild emmer wheat and barley, which were forerunners of the varieties grown today. A US-Israeli team report their findings in the latest Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. [“BBC”:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3826731.stm]
But then how do you explain this news from Sri Lanka ?
One of the most priceless relics here is a female body remains in Bulathsinhala, in Kalutara district in the Western province, which testifies to the consumption of rice, maize and salt. This body remains embedded in a rock dates back to 30,500 BC and is considered the world’s oldest proof of consumption of rice, maize and salt. The rock cave is named after the famous Chinese Buddhist monk Fa-Hien who travelled in India and Sri Lanka from AD 399 to 414. He stayed in this cave for the major part of his sojourn in Sri Lanka. [“One World South Asia”:http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/88629/1/]
This means that the US-Israeli team which came up with the date of 21,000 BC is not aware of the history of Sri Lanka.
