Despite the dark ages, and the disruption of the earliest world system that ensued, revival soon became apparent Moreover, when revival got underway, the Middle East, was, as before, the center; and it was helped by the fact that the domestication of camels had begun to put improved transport at the disposal of warriors and merchants alike According to Richard Bulliet, domestication of camels was a long drawn-out process, beginning in southern Arabia, perhaps as early as 3000 B.C., but it attained decisive importance for the civilized world only between A.D.