In an article published in the magazine Science, researchers report that the fig tree may be one of the world's first domesticated plants.

The study indicates that these plants were domesticated between 11,700 and 10,500 years ago in places along the Mediterranean region.

About's Archaeology guide K. Kris Hirst, takes an insightful look at these new findings.

In her article, The History of the Domestication of Fig Trees, Hirst delves into the symbiotic relationship between fig trees and a tiny species of wasp, known as the fig wasp.

Image: Carbonized Fig Fruit from the Early Neolithic Site of Gilgal I, Jordan Valley, Israel Science © 2006

More Information:

Fig Plants
Definition of fig plants with information on fig biology.