The article by Melinda A. Zeder provides a comprehensive overview of the origins, diffusion, and impacts of early agriculture in the Mediterranean Basin. Key findings include: 1. **Origin of Domestication**: The initial steps toward plant and animal domestication in the Eastern Mediterranean can be traced back to around 12,000 calibrated years before present (cal B.P.). This is significantly earlier than previously thought, based on morphological changes in domesticated species. Genetic analyses have identified multiple domestic lineages for each species, suggesting multiple domestication events. 2. **Diffusion of Domesticates**: The expansion of domesticates and agricultural economies across the Mediterranean was likely achieved through several waves of seafaring colonists who established coastal farming enclaves. This process involved both the adoption of domesticates and technologies by indigenous populations and the local domestication of some endemic species. 3. **Environmental Impacts**: The transition to agriculture led to significant environmental changes, including the replacement of endemic island faunas with imported mainland fauna and the creation of anthropogenic landscapes that have maintained high biodiversity since the Neolithic. 4. **Future Research Directions**: Future research should focus on the broader concept of domestication, including the early stages of human interaction with plants and animals, and the complex processes of demic diffusion, local adoption, and independent domestication. Techniques such as demographic profiling, morphometric analysis, and ancient DNA studies will be crucial in advancing our understanding of these processes. Overall, the article highlights the importance of interdisciplinary approaches and new analytical methods in advancing our knowledge of early agriculture and its impacts in the Mediterranean Basin.The article by Melinda A. Zeder provides a comprehensive overview of the origins, diffusion, and impacts of early agriculture in the Mediterranean Basin. Key findings include: 1. **Origin of Domestication**: The initial steps toward plant and animal domestication in the Eastern Mediterranean can be traced back to around 12,000 calibrated years before present (cal B.P.). This is significantly earlier than previously thought, based on morphological changes in domesticated species. Genetic analyses have identified multiple domestic lineages for each species, suggesting multiple domestication events. 2. **Diffusion of Domesticates**: The expansion of domesticates and agricultural economies across the Mediterranean was likely achieved through several waves of seafaring colonists who established coastal farming enclaves. This process involved both the adoption of domesticates and technologies by indigenous populations and the local domestication of some endemic species. 3. **Environmental Impacts**: The transition to agriculture led to significant environmental changes, including the replacement of endemic island faunas with imported mainland fauna and the creation of anthropogenic landscapes that have maintained high biodiversity since the Neolithic. 4. **Future Research Directions**: Future research should focus on the broader concept of domestication, including the early stages of human interaction with plants and animals, and the complex processes of demic diffusion, local adoption, and independent domestication. Techniques such as demographic profiling, morphometric analysis, and ancient DNA studies will be crucial in advancing our understanding of these processes. Overall, the article highlights the importance of interdisciplinary approaches and new analytical methods in advancing our knowledge of early agriculture and its impacts in the Mediterranean Basin.