That is the conventional wisdom—but this article's claim of “modern” husbandry some 8000 years ago beginning on the Western edge of the Balkan Peninsula conflicts with other claims of earliest agriculturally enabled cities like Jarmo or Jericho some 10000 to 8000 years ago—as physically recorded history with it's natural limits attest. There may be a an undiscovered or discovered and destroyed by Nazi archaeologists because of it's racial ramifications a Croatian Petra that predates Asian or African civilizations.
Like the former “missing link” Lucy proved—the jury is always out on human origins until it ain't.
Fun to look into though.
There's a large body of water in the way ~ the desertification of the Ice Ages still remains in many places in between the Serbian refugia and the Syrian highlands ~ it was a long walk before roads (and the domesticated horse) ~ boulders and badlands with irregular water supplies also slowed folks down.
Agriculture took thousands of years to spread within the Middle East itself.
The settlers here bringing in farming are right there at the water's edge of the Serbian refugia ~ but the original occupants already di-di'd out going North, East, West ~ and not Souf' to Dubrovnik where I think eventoday we find the European climactic zone line between growing flax and growing cotton (something to be checked soon since this is a very relevant ancient line that separated one type of culture from another).