In Mesopotamia they usually didn't need to because the richness of the soil and so on.

在美索不达米亚,由于土壤肥沃及其他因素,通常是不需要施肥的

耶鲁公开课 - 古希腊历史简介课程节选

The land was so rich and it was really cheap at first.

这片土壤十分肥沃,并且最初还十分便宜

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The way these things work, when you are engaged in agriculture, it's natural to go first to that soil, to that patch of land which is known to be likely to produce the best land, the most fertile, the best product, the most fertile land there is.

这一方式是这样运作的,当你从事农业,你自然而然的会首先关注土壤因素,去找出已知土地中最为肥沃的那一块,土地越肥沃,产量越高,就越追求更为肥沃的土地

耶鲁公开课 - 古希腊历史简介课程节选