What allowed societies along the southern Mediterranean, in northern Africa, and in southwest Asia to excel in astronomy, mathematics, architecture, and the arts?

The productivity of agriculture

Explanation:

Agriculture played a significant role in developing the societies in the southern Mediterranean, north Africa and southwest Asia. By introducing agriculture, people were able to settle in one permanent place and became depended on food supply. Societies after becoming depended on the productivity of agriculture started looking finding ways to shape their societies in a better way by advancing in astronomy, architecture, mathematics and the arts.