Available at: https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/extinct-tree-resurrected-ancient-seeds-now-dad-002838, Hassan, N. (2020) Israeli Researchers Mate 2,000-year-old Date Seeds, Hope for Fruit. Haaretz. Six new ancient date trees - Arava Institute for Environmental Studies Radiocarbon dating of the fragments of the seed shells still clinging to the roots of the plants confirmed the seeds date back to between 1,800 and 2,400 years ago. A Long-Lost Legendary Roman Fruit Tree Germinated From 2,000-Year-Old Seeds (2015) Extinct Tree Resurrected from Ancient Seeds is now a Dad. Ancient Origins. The seeds were held in storage for 40 years at Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan.[10][11]. The plant was nicknamed "Methuselah," after the longest-lived person in the Bible. These semi-dry dates with a reddish blonde color were recently harvested. Uriel and Jonah date back to the first to second centuries CE. ( The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies ). By June 2008, the tree had nearly a dozen fronds and was nearly 1.4 metres (4ft 7in) tall. Extinct Tree Grows Anew From Ancient Jar of Seeds - Treehugger Long the only lonely representative of its kind, the Judean palm in now reproducing and giving researchers a unique glimpse back in time. They had experienced a very dry and sheltered environment for millennia. Haaretz.com, the online English edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, gives you breaking news, analyses and opinions about Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World. cultivation of dates in the region began to decline. Growing in a greenhouse for the last nine years,Judith was recently transplanted in what Kibbutz Ketura calls the Ancient Judean Date Orchard. One that disappeared centuries ago was the Judean date. Thank God for the faithfulness of his people though the ages - to leave these seeds, and to find and nurture one to grow. Methusaleh and all the ancient date trees can be visited by contacting Keren Kolot. We're talking about the resurrection of 2000-year-old plus ancient date seeds that come from the Judean Desert and from Masada and which are part of a scientific experiment, said Sarah Sallon, Director and Founder of The Natural Medicine Research Center at Hadassah Medical Organization, Jerusalem. Because several seedlings are female, it is hoped that it will be possible to pollinate one or more of the female Judean date palms with the pollen from Methuselah. Origins and insights into the historic Judean date palm based on Remove the seeds from the fruit, and wash them to remove any excess fruit particles. Get email notification for articles from Nir Hasson. Morphology of six germinated ancient Judean date seeds before planting. During 19631965, excavations at Herod the Great's palace on Masada, Israel, revealed a cache of date palm seeds preserved in an ancient jar. The site of the ceremony was not happenstance. 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. Solowey soaked the seeds in enzymatic water and fertilizer and planted them in sterile potting soil in pots in a greenhouse. CBN News got its first look ten years ago when Methuselah was still in the lab. So valued was the tree that it became recognized as a symbol of good fortune in Judea. It was a harvest that grabbed a global media spotlight. If this is indeed a specific species, the author should make that clear and name the species. Medieval Sea Monster Was Likely a Whale, New Research Reveals, What is Shambhala? Last week, when the first dates ripened, a harvest was organized. Prophecy from the Bible is revealing itself as we speak. 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. They were big; they were sweet. Methuselah happens to be a male Judean date palm, so the team of scientists planted a few more seeds from the cache of ancient seeds unearthed in Herods palace excavation to see if they could propagate a bride for Methuselah. Hundreds of seeds were collected between 1963 and 1991. Not as sweet as the Medjooldate, 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. 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 same is true for date palms. After the successful germination of the first seed, Dr. Solowey and Dr. Sallon took to replicating the experiment. But it takes a lot of hard work, time, and money to do what we do. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing. Ezekiel 47:12. Scientists Grew Palm Trees From 2,000-Year-Old Seeds Judean dates were once renowned for their size and flavor Brigit Katz Correspondent February 7, 2020 These palms are a modern variety. Its a childrens story about the science and what it represents., Viva Sarah Press is a journalist and speaker. Throughout the history of civilization, the concept of the apocalypse has been ever present, in one way or another. We know from the Talmud that the Jews exiled to Babylonia [in Mesopotamia] cultivated date groves. For thousands of years, the date palm was a staple crop. Scientists Resurrect Judean Date Palms From Biblical Era - Science And it is blossoming on Kibbutz Ketura in the Arava region, 40 minutes north of Eilat. They called him Methuselah after the oldest person in the Bible. Aided by Modern Ingenuity, a Taste of Ancient Judean Dates Judean date palm in 2012. The Judean Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is known from historical accounts for its sweet, large fruit, which even had medicinal properties. 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. DF_JST1058_2000_Year_Old_Date_Palms_HD1080_0_273, Date palms from 2000-Year-Old Date Seeds. I am sure you are familiar with his legend which states that he was born in a manger surrounded by shepherds, about Herod the Greats Alabaster Bathtubs, about Seleucid Sling Stone Sheds New Light on Jewish Hannukah Story, about Rogue Priest Second Temple Silver Coin Found By Girl in Jerusalem, about Evidence of Hannukah Story Found in Razed Hellenistic Fortress, about New Study Reveals How Legendary Assyrian Siege Ramp Overcame Lachish, about Mesopotamian Superpowers Laying Waste To The Ancient Near East, For Sale In Britain: A Small Ancient Man With A Colossal Penis, Sacred Marvels: 17 Cathedrals That Will Take Your Breath Away, In Pictures, Egyptologists Reveal a Lost Chamber in the Great Pyramid With Cosmic Rays, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Unleashing the End of the World. (2020) Origins and insights into the historic Judean date palm based on genetic analysis of germinated ancient seeds and morphometric studies. Science Advances Vol 6. [20], As of 2012, there were tentative plans to crossbreed the male palm with what was considered its closest extant relative, the Hayani date from Egypt, to generate fruit by 2022; however, two female Judean palms have been sprouted since then. 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. Were available 24/7. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.. 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. Ancient Judean date palm trees resurrected from ancient seeds. They all sat in storage for over 40 years. Back in the 1960s, famed Israeli archeologist Professor Yigal Yadin discovered thousands of date seeds buried under rubble during his excavations of Masada. The seeds of Judean date palms turn out to have remarkable longevity. Trees are like humans in that you need the pollen from a male tree to pollinate the flowers of a female plant. The Judean date palm was once common in ancient Judea. Judean Date Palm Grown From 2,000 Year Old Seed Bears Fruit. Government Bouncers on Your Church's Front Door? Sallon has a hypothesis regarding Hannahs ancestors. 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. For conservation, Sallon, who moved from England to Israel, tells NoCamels. She was also interested in how plants can be used for medicine. Especially now, I think that people need that. According to historical sources, the taste of them was something splendid. And I look at the plantations on Ketura. Because they were famous. But as time progressed, the leaves began to look healthier. 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. This remarkable feat confirms the long-term viability of the kernels once ensconced in succulent Judean dates, a fruit cultivar lost for centuries. I think the biggest problem is hydrating them because if you hydrate them too quickly, you kill them and you only get one crack at each seed, Solowey told CBN News. They selected 34 seeds they thought were the most viable. Methuselah the Judean Date Palm is still going strong even after sprouting from a 2,000-year-old seed. 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. They are similar in taste and form to the modern day zahidi dates. Dr. Sarah Sallon, the director of the Borick Natural Medicine Research Center at Hadassah University Hospital, and Dr. Elaine Solowey, who runs the Center for Sustainable Agriculture at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies at Kibbutz Ketura, have so far successfully managed to germinate seven seeds, among dozens that they have attempted to revive. An ancient date seed (Phoenix dactylifera L.) excavated from Masada and radiocarbon-dated to the first century Common Era was germinated. Photo: Marcos Schonholz, What Do 2,000-Year-Old Ancient Judean Dates Taste Like? Later this fall, the Arava Institute plans to offer a limited number of dates for sale at the Kibbutz Ketura guesthouse. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Thanks Jo. Dr. Sallon, who researches natural medicine, is one of the few lucky ones to have had the opportunity to taste one of the 111 ancient Judean dates harvested in September at Kibbutz Ketura in southern Israel. Dates were one of the seven species listed as special to the land of Israel, described in the bible as honey., A land of wheat and barley, of vines, figs, and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey; Deuteronomy 8:8. 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. Scientists determined that Methuselah was of the Hayany breed originally from Egypt. 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. Now more have been grown and genetic analysis finds a twist in the origin story of the 'Judean date' A resurrected Judean date palm tree called Adam. How Credible Are the Superstitions Surrounding the Mystical Irish Fairy Trees? 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. 'The Resurrection of 2000-Year-Old Ancient Date Seeds': New Fruit I too wonder if this is a specific species as date palms have been cultivated forever. Need prayer? 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. Antibiotics didnt help. Already in the fifth century BC, Herodotus noted that the greatest importance of the Judean dates was that they were drier and less perishable than those from Egypt and thus suitable for storage and export, which is still an important distinction today. Plants have been produced from date palm seeds that have been buried for 2,000 years in old ruins and caves. One was separated out as a control. We need a lot of data to do research on, to work out the properties, what the nutritional value is, says Sallon, a pediatric gastroenterologist who directs the Louis L. Borick Natural Medicine Research Center at the Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem, as to why the bulk of the date harvest was taken to research labs. Were theonlyPop Archaeology site combining scientific research with out-of-the-box perspectives. (Guy Eisner) Scientists have cultivated plants from date palm seeds that languished in ancient ruins and caves for 2,000 years. The Judean Date Palm: Extinct Tree Resurrected from Ancient Seeds (2023) [10] The plant was nicknamed "Methuselah" after the longest-lived person listed in the Bible. Yes, the New York Times justbroke the storyof the children of Methuselah and Hannah, biblical date trees (that didnt meet on JDate) with some impressive history and something to teach at this perilous time as a lead up to the Jewish New Year., Just 30 miles north of the Red Sea, in the Negev Desert, scientists from the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies travelled back in time two millennia, becoming the first people to pick and sample dates from trees with roots stretching back to the days of Jesus and the Maccabees., Dr. Theres a resurrection story you probably havent heard coming out of Judea. Why? The eastern ones are all the species from Arabia and Iraq, and the western ones are from North Africa, Sallon explained. ***Please sign up forCBN Newslettersand download theCBN News appto ensure you keep receiving the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***. The skin of the fruit is light brown and it is reported to be less sweet, and more fibrous and chewy than the Medjool date commonly grown in Israel today. Why does Judaism matter and how is it connected to Christianity? During Yigal Yadins excavations of Masada in the mid 1960s, ancient date seeds were discovered beneath rubble at the Northern Palace approach. 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. They became symbols of "beauty, precious shade and succulent plenty," Kershner wrote. To read the full paper on Origins and insights into the historic Judean date palm based on genetic analysis of germinated ancient seeds and morphometric studies by Sarah Sallon et al., please refer to Science Advances. She has another goal she hopes to accomplish as soon as possible: Publishing a childrens story she wrote to encourage childrens curiosity with science. Benjitheijneb/CC BY SA 3.0 (Creative Commons ) A tree grown from a 2,000-year-old seed may bring its sub-species back to Israel, where it once flourished, after a . Researchers hold a date tree grown by a 2,000-year-old seed retrieved from archaeological sites in the Judean Desert, in Ketura, Israel, September 2, 2020. Scientists Resurrect Mysterious Judean Date Palms From Biblical Era Methuselah the tree was grown from a 2,000-year-old seed found at Masada. A previous experiment with the seeds produced a single male plant that sprouted in 2005 which the researchers named Methuselah. ( The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies ) So valued was the tree that it became recognized as a symbol of good fortune in Judea. Watch the video below to learn more about the resurrection of this formerly extinct Judean date palm tree. Dr. Tareq Abu Hamed, Director of the Arava Institute at Kibbutz Ketura, sees this as. Thats why we view every news story through the lens of faith. You can view our live recording of the harvesthere. Wed have to take his word for it if it werent for the hard work of two women scientists. 1. Please check your information and try again or call us at 1-800-759-0700. Seeds found in Judean desert are male and female, leading to hopes of producing dates. This is the second year of harvesting fruit from this previously extinct tree, brought back to life by Dr. Elaine Solowey. Israel365 News is the only media outlet reporting on it. A little, young-looking palm tree named Judith was planted on Kibbutz Ketura recently. In ancient times the Judean date palm was a staple source of food, shelter, and shade. Both Adam and Jonah have produced flowers. Methuselah, Adam, and Hannah date back to the first to fourth centuries BCE. Its possible that they brought the seeds with them on their return to Zion, she said. 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. After this process, one seed was found to be damaged and was subsequently discarded. [16] Methuselah flowered in March 2011 and is male. Archaeobotanical records suggest that the earliest exploitation and consumption of dates is from the Arabian Neolithic some 7000 years before the present., The plump, golden-brown dates hanging in a bunch just above the sandy soil were finally ready to pick., The answer, Im happy to say, is sweeter than you think. [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. No. 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 . The species is widely cultivated and is naturalized in . Five years ago, National Geographic reported that Methuselah was over ten-feet tall and had been used to pollinate a wild modern female date palm. Sponsored by the Asper Foundation and Reichman University. Dr. Solowey - and that at least one is a female! Though it was disputed for many years, there is conclusive evidence that Neanderthals bred with modern humans (Homo sapiens). They were very dry. Date palms generally thrive in hot arid regions and in Biblical times, were cultivated in the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea region. Dr. Solowey successfully germinated one of these seeds, which sprouted into a young date palm today, Methuselah has a permanent home in the Arava Institute research park on Kibbutz Ketura. As a result, the tithing ceremony was held on Friday.