This opens the door to thousands of potential experiments. We are planting our second, female date tree, who was sprouted from an ancient seed. Especially now, I think that people need that. A 15-year effort to germinate 2,000-year-old seeds from an ancient date palm is finally bearing fruit. In ancient times the Judean date palm was a staple source of food, shelter, and shade. Once the Roman Empire took control of the kingdom in 70 AD, the date palms were destroyed in an attempt to cripple the Jewish economy. Judean date palm in 2012. Date Palm Sprouted from Ancient Seed Gives Fruit Like That of Bible Times In the middle of Israel's Arava Desert, a farming community is bringing trees back to life that's bearing fruit from the time of the Bible. You Can at The Baobab Tree Bar, The Power of the Flying Rowan Tree, Woe of the Witches, https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/extinct-tree-resurrected-ancient-seeds-now-dad-002838, https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/science/.premium-israeli-researchers-mate-2-000-year-old-date-seeds-hope-for-fruit-1.8503447, https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Seed-of-extinct-date-palm-sprouts-after-2-000-2628668.php, https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/6/eaax0384, https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/palm-tree-0013259, Seleucid Sling Stone Sheds New Light on Jewish Hannukah Story, Rogue Priest Second Temple Silver Coin Found By Girl in Jerusalem, Evidence of Hannukah Story Found in Razed Hellenistic Fortress, New Study Reveals How Legendary Assyrian Siege Ramp Overcame Lachish, Mesopotamian Superpowers Laying Waste To The Ancient Near East. Dr. Tareq Abu Hamed, Director of the Arava Institute at Kibbutz Ketura, sees this as. Our open community is dedicated to digging into the origins of our species on planet earth, and question wherever the discoveries might take us. Photo: Marcos Schonholz, What Do 2,000-Year-Old Ancient Judean Dates Taste Like? And then I realized that many of these species had actually disappeared. So far, we have five males and two females seven altogether, and I've tried lots of seeds and most of them are deader than door nails, Solowey said. Hundreds of seeds were collected between 1963 and 1991. These semi-dry dates with a reddish blonde color were recently harvested. Methuselah, Adam, and Hannah date back to the first to fourth centuries BCE. The first of the ancient date seedlings, Methusaleh, is named for the oldest person mentioned in the Bible. Haaretz Daily Newspaper Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Many books and videos show depictions of vast work forces hewing blocks of stone in the hot desert sun and carefully setting them into place. (DtoF) Boaz (54 months), Judith (47 months), and Hannah (88 months). By bringing together top experts and authors, this archaeology website explores lost civilizations, examines sacred writings, tours ancient places, investigates ancient discoveries and questions mysterious happenings. {amount} donation plus {fee_amount} to help cover fees. Though it was disputed for many years, there is conclusive evidence that Neanderthals bred with modern humans (Homo sapiens). [17] By November 2011 it was 2.5 metres (8ft 2in) high, having been transplanted from pot to earth. Scientists determined that Methuselah was of the Hayany breed originally from Egypt. This has been reissued in recently years as a 10 shekel coin. . In biblical times, the Judean date palm was revered throughout the region for its medicinal qualities. Please check your information and try again or call us at 1-800-759-0700. One was separated out as a control. The species has earned the new name Judean date palm, along with the scientific name Phoenix dactylifera. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail; they will yield new fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the Temple. But Dr. Sarah Sallon of the Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem began to look for more Judean date palm seeds and 30 of the ancient seeds were recovered from Qumran, the same location where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in the desert. Dates tree grown by a 2,000-year-old seed retrieved from archaeological sites in the Judean Desert, in Ketura, Israel, September 2, 2020. They were given the names Jonah, Uriel, Boaz, Judith, Hannah, and Adam. They are drier and sweeter than the medjool date and taste like natural honey. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing. Ezekiel 47:12. A team led by Sarah Sallon, which planted these six trees, first tried in 2005 to germinate a 2,000-year-old seed from the . Ancient Judean date palm trees resurrected from ancient seeds. How could it be?" But they're not the original date tree that grew here, Sallon said. Methuselah and Hannah, which are the oldest, have more eastern DNA, while the other trees DNA is more western.. Modern day studies have shown dates benefit digestion, lower cholesterol, improve memory, increase blood production, have aphrodisiac properties, and strengthen the nervous system. trees were revealed by DNA testing as females, and one of them, Hannah, has borne one bunch with 111 dates, which were harvested in early September. [17][20] By 2015 Methuselah had produced pollen that has been used successfully to pollinate female date palms. Specimen Pindo Palm Tree can be seen on the University of Georgia campus in Athens, GA. Trees are like humans in that you need the pollen from a male tree to pollinate the flowers of a female plant. In June of 2020, Hannah became the first Judean date palm tree, resurrected from the dust of ancient seeds, to bear fruit. Ages in months at time of photograph (AtoC) Adam (110 months), Jonah (63 months), and Uriel (54 months). The Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is an important symbol in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.Methuselah represents a variety of date palm that was grown in ancient Judea but disappeared many hundreds of years ago. [6] Andrea Moresino-Zipper contests that in the former case, it is the woman who symbolises the defeated Judaea and the towering, dominating palm stands for victorious Rome, while in the latter case the palm tree does represent Judaea.[6]. Archaeologists have been able to take a closer look at one of the United Kingdoms most famous shipwrecks. More than 850,000 date trees grow in Israel. her team just so happens to have one other Judean date palm on hand in . Uriel and Jonah date back to the first to second centuries CE. For the next four decades, the ancient seeds were kept in a drawer at Tel Aviv's Bar-Ilan University. Home Judean Date Palm Grown From 2,000 Year Old Seed Bears Fruit. [1] The palm, a male tree, was named Methuselah (not to be confused with a bristlecone pine tree of the same name). Who would have thought seeds thousands of years old would germinate?!? As the researchers hoped would be the case with their revived date palms, plants irrigated from the Jerusalem waters would be uniquely vibrant and grant special medicinal qualities. They had experienced a very dry and sheltered environment for millennia. After all, date palms are praised in the Bible as well as in Islam, Greek and Roman civilizations as symbols of beauty, fertility, peace, and victory. Spanish conquistadors couldn't believe their eyes while exploring the rugged terrain of the Andes during their invasion of Peru. Two beautiful bathtubs Hanukkah or the Jewish Festival of Lights is celebrated in memory of the recovery of the Second Temple in Jerusalem from the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BC. People are disturbed. Both Adam and Jonah have produced flowers. The Iliad can provide new insights on the role of motherhood among the ancient Greek gods, and by extension, amongst ancient mortal Greek women themselves. The proud parents are date palms grown from ancient seeds uncovered in archeological excavations in Israel., Not as sweet as the Medjool date, not sticky at all, and with a pleasant honey aftertaste is how Dr. Sarah Sallon describes the taste of a date sprouted from a 2,000-year-old seed., So what do 2,000-year-old dates taste like? The researchers conducted a series of tests to verify the age of the seeds, and it was confirmed through carbon 14 dating that they were more than 2,000 years old. Now you say well, but we see dates all the way along here, palm trees and all the kibbutzim are growing plants. The seeds were held in storage for 40 years at Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan.. Israeli scientists found out, The Resurrection of 2000-Year-Old Ancient Date Seeds: New Fruit Sprouts from Bible Times Source. said Solowey. Hannah was the first female tree. Now You Can, Thanks to These Israeli Researchers Researchers celebrate - and sample - the first fruit of palm trees germinated from ancient seeds from the Judean desert Dates tree grown by a 2,000-year-old seed retrieved from archaeological sites in the Judean Desert, in Ketura, Israel, September 2, 2020. Credit: Marcos Shonholtz Nir Hasson Sallon has a hypothesis regarding Hannahs ancestors. Available at: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/science/.premium-israeli-researchers-mate-2-000-year-old-date-seeds-hope-for-fruit-1.8503447, Kalman, M. (2005) Seed of extinct date palm sprouts after 2,000 years. SFGATE. The tree and its fruit are mentioned in the Song of Songs and Psalms and featured on coins throughout the region. Genesis 5:25-27 says that Methuselah lived 969 years! It would be interesting if they were used back then for the same reasons, she tells NoCamels during a phone call from her Jerusalem home. [dubious discuss] Goor quotes several later, Ottoman-period travellers to the area as to the rarity of date palms, including Pierre Belon, who in 1553 scoffed at the idea that the region could have ever produced the bounty of dates reported in ancient sources. Groves of Judean dates once flourished in Israel, as described by Pliny and Josephus, and were famous across the Roman Empire. In the Kingdom of Judea it was a source of food, shelter, medicine, and shade. Judean date palms were wiped . 2023 The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc., A nonprofit 501 (c)(3) Charitable Organization. For conservation, Sallon, who moved from England to Israel, tells NoCamels. So valued was the tree that it became recognized as a symbol of good fortune in Judea. In Egypt and the Land of Israel, the two species come together. Methuselah was chosen to father the fruit and pollen from his plant was placed onto Hannah's flowers. She was soon proven wrong. Later this fall, the Arava Institute plans to offer a limited number of dates for sale at the Kibbutz Ketura guesthouse. And here we are actually planting history at the Arava Institute. The harvested dates are undergoing study regarding their properties and nutritional values. After being kept in storage for over 40 years, a project initiated by Dr. Sallon, aimed to germinate ancient seeds found on archaeological sites in an effort to reintroduce extinct plants previously grown in the region. Thick forests of the ancient date palms towering up to 80 feet (24.38 meters) and spreading for 7 miles (11.27) covered the Jordan River valley from the Sea of Galilee in the north to the shores of the Dead Sea in the south. The Judean Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is known from historical accounts for its sweet, large fruit, which even had medicinal properties. Recently, a restoration of life, in a sense, took place in the Holy Landbut with 2,000-year-old dry date seeds from the same region where the religious legends began., Mazal tov to Hannah and Methuselah on their 111 miracle babies! Its fruit was a staple of the Judean Desert and grew in thick forests along the Dead Sea and Jordan River valley. In the future, the hope is for Methuselah, a male tree, to be bred with a female to produce the same date variety eaten commonly in ancient Judea, where it was valued as much for its delicious flavor as for its medicinal properties., We all know the resurrection story from 2,000 years ago described in the pages of the Christian bible. ***Please sign up forCBN Newslettersand download theCBN News appto ensure you keep receiving the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***. Call us at 1 315 4971058. Of these, six of the seeds successfully sprouted. The remaining 32 seeds were planted in a quarantined site at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies in Kibbutz Ketura in southern Israel. She was planted in 2019. [18] By May 2015, the palm was 3.0 metres (9.8ft) tall and was producing pollen. Hannahs DNA is reminiscent of that of ancient trees from Mesopotamia, todays Iraq, as is the modern zahidi variety, which is considered an Iraqi species. Learn more here. They nicknamed the tree Methuselah after Noahs grandfather, the oldest person who ever lived. They called him Methuselah after the oldest person in the Bible. The Israeli scientists and horticulturists are now trying to find a way to use the tissue culture and make hundreds of thousands of exact replicas of Hannah, the date-palm tree germinatedfrom a seed dating back two millennia. They dont read science journals, she tells NoCamels, noting that her friend, Jane Goodall, wrote the introduction to her unpublished childrens book. Judean Date Palm Revived from Extinction by Emily Frances - i24, Sept. 14th, 2020 "Dr. Elaine Solowey, Desert Plant Pioneer, successfully grew an extinct Judean Date Palm tree from a 2000 year old seed. The Judean dates from the time of Christ had long been considered extinct. Antibiotics didnt help. . All kinds of trees for food will grow up on both banks of the stream. Why? This extraordinary achievement demonstrates the kernels' long-term vitality after being nestled in succulent Judean dates, a fruit variety that has been lost for millennia. Shes the fifth such tree to be planted there after Methuselah, Adam, Jonah and Hannah. They were very dry. Seeds found in Judean desert are male and female, leading to hopes of producing dates. Joanna Gillan is a Co-Owner, Editor and Writer of Ancient Origins. That allowed them to be exported all over the Roman empire and they had medicinal qualities, Sallon said. During 19631965, excavations at Herod the Great's palace on Masada, Israel, revealed a cache of date palm seeds preserved in an ancient jar. Available at: https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/6/eaax0384, Whelan, E. (2020) Fabled Palm Trees Reborn From Ancient Seeds In Israel. Ancient Origins. She has grown plants and herbs used in Tibetan, Chinese, and biblical medicine, as well as traditional folk remedies from other cultures to see whether their effectiveness can be scientifically proved. The other date palms to have sprouted from these ancient seeds are known as Adam, Hannah, Judith, Jonah, Boaz and Uriel. Its mentioned in the Bible as one of the seven species found in the ancient Land of Israel. In time, Hannah gave birth to a son, Samuel, who was the nazirite that chose Saul and David, the first two kings of Israel, for Gods people (1 Samuel 1). If you dont look back to the history you will not see the future. The conditions were dry and arid enough to preserve the seeds for 2,000 years. We are going to be testing those dates in the future to see actually what they do and whether they differ from other commercial varieties of modern dates. As a result, the tithing ceremony was held on Friday. Read more: Date palm grown from 2,000-year-old seed is a dad . Growth and development of the seedling over 26 months was compatible with normal date . SEE ALSO: Israeli DNA Study Unveils Reconstructed Face Of Mysterious, Long-Lost Human Relative. Norimitsu Odachi: Who Could Have Possibly Wielded This Enormous 15th Century Japanese Sword? Sallon, who lives in Jerusalem, offered one to a friend, but because she is an observant Jew, she couldnt accept it because it wasnt properly tithed, as Jewish religious law requires. Changes in weather and growing conditions combined with human activity are likely to blame for the disappearance of the Judean date palm sometime in the Middle Ages. This is something that came from the past and is still alive.. And lo, it came to pass that out of the earth Hannah and Judith sprouted. Holy Land Uncovered on location special from Kibbutz Ketura, where 2 female scientists created a Miracle!! But the plant went extinct due to waves of conquest and intentional destruction. I think thats why weve got such a tremendous response to bringing these dates back from extinction, she says. A Blazing Weapon: Unraveling the Mystery of Greek Fire. It included the Jewish Sheheheyanu prayer recited on momentous occasions, as well as the traditional offering and tithing ceremony. It is sometimes claimed that date growing as a commercial fruit export stopped at the end of 70 AD, when the Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans. Because they were famous. Sallons near future plans include learning more about the new-old dates, how to reintroduce the Judean date to the market, and continue to research the medicinal properties of these dates. Climate change, terrible typhoons, and hurricanes. But all was not lost, because in 1963, the late archeologist Yigael Yadin began excavating Masada, a mountaintop fortress built over 2,000 years ago on the shore of the Dead Sea, where King Herod built a spectacular palace. According to the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, Radiocarbon dating at the University of Zurich confirmed the seeds dated from between 155 BC to 64 AD. In 2005, a team of scientists sprouted a preserved 2,000-year-old seed, the oldest seed germinated with human-assistance (with the claim in 2012 of a 32,000-year-old arctic flower involving fruit tissue rather than a seed). [13] She challenged her friend, Dr. Elaine Solowey from the Center for Sustainable Agriculture at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, with the task[14] and in 2005 Dr. Solowey managed to sprout several seeds, after slowly hydrating them in a common baby bottle warmer, then pretreating them in an ordinary solution of fertilizer and growth hormone. In ancient times, the classical writers described in detail, the dates of ancient Judea. However, despite this, extensive cultivation persisted in Jericho and Zoara, until the agrarian economy collapsed during Mamluk rule around the 14th century, which he attributes to a change in the climate. A previous experiment with the seeds produced a single male plant that sprouted in 2005 which the researchers named Methuselah. Plants have been produced from date palm seeds that have been buried for 2,000 years in old ruins and caves. Pliny the Elder, a Roman naturalist of the 1st century AD, wrote that Jericho's dates were known for their succulence and sweetness, though he distinguished a considerable variety of them and discussed several different varieties by name. You can view our live recording of the harvesthere. Both seeds have been dated to between the 4th and 2nd centuries B.C.E. The seven ancient Judean date palm accessions originate from the germination of date palm seeds collected during archaeological excavations of three sites in the Judean desert (21, 22). The Romans eventually succeeded and by 500 AD the once plentiful date palm had almost completely disappeared, driven to extinction for the sake of conquest. We hope that one day these trees that came from 2,000 years ago will be the hope of peace in our region, Abu Hamed said. Sarah Sallon, director of the Louis L. Borick Natural Medicine Research Center in Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem, led a team that included Elaine Solowey, and Nathalie Chabrillange. Elaine Solowey, Desert Plant Pioneer, successfully grew an extinct Judean Date Palm tree from a 2000 year old seed. Out of the changes from natural weather shifts, new life can grow again. These plants are called Adam, Jonah, Uriel, Boaz, Judith, and Hannah. We know from the Talmud that the Jews exiled to Babylonia [in Mesopotamia] cultivated date groves. Were available 24/7. I too wonder if this is a specific species as date palms have been cultivated forever. Over the past 15 years, a project has been underway in Israels southern Arava region to revive ancient species of date palms germinated from seeds found at archaeological digs in the Judean Desert. The tree and its fruit caused Jericho to become a major population center and are praised in the Hebrew Bible possibly several times indirectly, such as in Psalms (Psalms 92:1215), "The righteous himself will blossom forth as a palm tree does", and date clusters (Hebrew: .mw-parser-output .script-hebrew,.mw-parser-output .script-Hebr{font-family:"SBL Hebrew","SBL BibLit","Taamey Ashkenaz","Taamey Frank CLM","Frank Ruehl CLM","Ezra SIL","Ezra SIL SR","Keter Aram Tsova","Taamey David CLM","Keter YG","Shofar","David CLM","Hadasim CLM","Simple CLM","Nachlieli",Cardo,Alef,"Noto Serif Hebrew","Noto Sans Hebrew","David Libre",David,"Times New Roman",Gisha,Arial,FreeSerif,FreeSans}) are mentioned in the Song of Songs (Song of Songs 7:8). The Judean dates harvested from Hannah have a light brown skin, fibrous and chewy honey-colored flesh, and is less sweet than the popular Medjool date. It is chronicled in the Bible, Quran, and ancient literature for its diverse powers. They selected 34 seeds they thought were the most viable. Remove the seeds from the fruit, and wash them to remove any excess fruit particles. The first of the ancient date seedlings, Methusaleh, is named for the oldest person mentioned in the Bible. One was separated out as a control. The Chilling Mystery of the Octavius Ghost Ship, Film Footage Provides Intimate View of HMS Gloucester Shipwreck, Top 8 Legendary Parties - Iconic Celebrations in Ancient History, The Spanish Inquisition: The Truth Behind the Black Legend (Part II), The Spanish Inquisition: The Truth behind the Dark Legend (Part I), Bloodthirsty Buddhists: The Sohei Warrior Monks of Feudal Japan, Dizzying Inca Rope Bridges Were Grass-Made Marvels of Engineering, Two Centuries Of Naval Espionage In Europe, Research Confirms That 20% of the Neanderthal Genome Can Be Found In Modern Humans, The Curious Apparitions of Pagan Goddesses to the German Knights Templar, The Truth Behind the Christ Myth: Ancient Origins of the Often Used Legend Part I, The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts, Evidence that Noahs Ark Landed on a Mountain 17 Miles South of Ararat, Library in Stone: The Ica Stones of Professor Cabrera Part I, Two Sides to Every Story: The North American Martyrs Shrines and Indigenous/ Roman Catholic Relations, The Origins of the Faeries: Encoded in our Cultures Part I, Curse of the Buried Pearl: The Hunt for Ancient Treasures Part I, The Enigma of the Shugborough Inscription, Arava Institute for Environmental Studies. Now that the Judean date palm has been brought back to life and its fruit has even been harvested, researchers finally have the opportunity to study if the ancient medicinal claims are true. The findings suggest that it might be a good option for examining the lifetime of plant seeds. A handful of date seeds from fruit that ripened around the time of Jesus have been successfully planted and grown in southernIsrael, researchers have revealed., The worlds most remarkable date palm trees might not exist if Sarah Sallon hadnt gotten sick while working as a doctor in India in 1986. Mother and Child Reunion Of Thetis And Achilles, Seductive Sirens of Greek Mythology and How Heroes Resisted Them, Celestial Goddess Selene: The Ancient Greek Goddess of the Moon, Pegasus of Greek Mythology: Majestic Winged Horse of Mount Olympus, Dreams of Human-Powered Flight: Daedalus and the Story of Icarus, The Warriors Who Shaped African History: The Horsemen of Oyo, Royal Mistress Jane Shore Walked Streets of London in her Underwear, Leonardo Da Vincis Notes Show He Understood Gravity Long Before Newton, Talks Begin on Repatriating Remains of Patrick Sarsfield, Irish War Hero, The Ramessid Dynasty: A Golden Era in Ancient Egypt, Unraveling the Mystery of the Carnac Stones: An Ancient Puzzle of Epic Proportions, Unraveling the Enigma of Aramu Muru, The Mysterious Gate of the Gods. Great piece I had no idea about such amazing botanical work going on. The genome sequences of the ancient Judean date palms were compared to those of 110 contemporary Phoenix dactylifera varieties and other wild Phoenix species . During Yigal Yadins excavations of Masada in the mid 1960s, ancient date seeds were discovered beneath rubble at the Northern Palace approach. The Judean date disappeared entirely, and this site is also in terrible danger of destruction. Herod the Great was renowned for his ambitious projects and extravagant tastes. Germinated ancient Judean date seedlings. What is the origin of the legend of the Christed Son who was born of a virgin on December 25th? The Judean Date Palm symbolized ancient Judah and was mentioned in the Bible but when the nation it symbolized was conquered and sent into exile in 70 CE, cultivation of dates in the region began to decline. Thank God for the faithfulness of his people though the ages - to leave these seeds, and to find and nurture one to grow. They selected 34 seeds they thought were the most viable. France's University of Montpellier conducted genetic testing on the Judean date and found that it shares some qualities with the Iraqi Zahidi date as well as other date varieties that were once grown in ancient Mesopotamia, Arabia, and Pakistan. In 2011, the plant produced its first flowers and today, the living archaeological treasure continues to grow and thrive. By Benjitheijneb (Own work) via Wikimedia Commons Get out the cigarsMethuselah, a. Were theonlyPop Archaeology site combining scientific research with out-of-the-box perspectives. Researchers celebrate and sample the first fruit of palm trees germinated from ancient seeds from the Judean desert. And though shes just nine-years-old, she carries an ancient heritage. Morphology of six germinated ancient Judean date seeds before planting. The fruit of the tree symbolised life and prosperity and was praised in ancient . Years ago at Masada, archaeologists found a jar of those ancient date seeds. Three weeks later, the oldest tree to be successfully germinated sprouted. All kinds of trees for food will grow up on both banks of the stream. were collected from Judean desert archaeological sites such as an ancient palace-fortress built by King Herod and caves located in southern Israel at Masada, Qumran, Wadi Makukh, and Wadi Kelt, located in the Judean desert between the Judean Hills and the Dead Sea. Solowey soaked the seeds in enzymatic water and fertilizer and planted them in sterile potting soil in pots in a greenhouse. [26] They may have shared the same wild ancestor. Top Image: Methuselah is a Judean date palm grown from a 2,000-year-old seed found at Masada. As soon as the ancient Judean date palm had grown into a tree, Ms. Solowey used genetic testing on it to confirm if it was indeed male and thus incapable of producing fruit. By June 2008, the tree had nearly a dozen fronds and was nearly 1.4 metres (4ft 7in) tall. ( The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies ) So valued was the tree that it became recognized as a symbol of good fortune in Judea. The characteristics of the Judean date palm may shed light on aspects of ancient cultivation that contributed to the quality of its fruit and is thus of potential relevance to the agronomic improvement of modern dates, the authors write.