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In antiquity, safflower was grown primarily for its flowers, which contain red (carthamin), and yellow pigments
Used as natural dyes for textiles, cosmetics, art, and food coloring.

Seeds became the primary target of cultivation later, especially for edible oil used in cooking, salad oils etc.

Genetic and archaeological evidence strongly supports that safflower was domesticated in the Fertile Crescent
Its wild ancestor is believed to be carthamus palaestinus

Some evidence suggests human use in Syria as early as 7500 BC
Though the domestication process probably lagged behind initial gathering. It probably started well into early agriculture. With cultivation starting thousands of years ago and gradually spreading.

The florets, or flower heads provide natural red carthamin, and yellow dyes
Used historically for textiles, cosmetics, and food coloring.

The seeds yield oil rich in unsaturated fatty acids (linoleic and oleic acids)
For cooking and industrial uses.

Domestic selection shaped traits: Reduced seed shattering; uniform flowering time; increased seed production; higher seed oil content; & reduced seed dormancy. These changes improved cultivation and harvestability, relative to wild ancestor species.

Check them out with some more neolithic architecture today.

Bibliography: Pearl, S.A., Bowers, J.E., Reyes-Chin-Wo, S. et al. Genetic analysis of safflower domestication. BMC Plant Biol 14, 43 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2229-14-43

Chapman MA, Hvala J, Strever J, Burke JM. Population genetic analysis of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius; Asteraceae) reveals a Near Eastern origin and five centers of diversity. Am J Bot. 2010 May;97(5):831-40. doi: 10.3732/ajb.0900137. Epub 2010 Apr 9. PMID: 21622448.

The BRAHMS Project, University of Oxford, Department of Plant Sciences. (n.d.). Oxford University Plants 400: Carthamus species. https://herbaria.plants.ox.ac.uk/bol/plants400/Profiles/CD/Carthamus