At the dawn of human civilization, the fig (Ficus carica) claimed the top spot with a remarkable domestication history dating back over 11,000 years. Interestingly, this precedes the domestication of wheat and barley by approximately 1,000 years. Archaeologists discovered these carbonized figs at the Gilgal site in the Jordan Valley, suggesting that our ancestors were practicing intentional asexual propagation (cuttings) long before they mastered broad-scale farming. This atypical path to domestication cements the fig as a true 'pioneer of agriculture,' predating even the most iconic staple crops in human history.