A little, young-looking palm tree named Judith was planted on Kibbutz Ketura recently. As of February 2020, Adam was 1.5 meters high (1.6 yards). Photo: Marcos Schonholz, What Do 2,000-Year-Old Ancient Judean Dates Taste Like? It takes time for seedlings to become seed-bearing trees, but eventually, that time came. What cured here, she thinks, were some traditional herbal remedies., The date palm has a historical distribution stretching from Mauritania in the west to the Indus Valley in the east. Methusaleh was even given the Guinness WorldRecords designation as the oldest seed cultivated. 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. The date palms are named for Biblical figures. She writes and talks about the creativity and innovation taking place in Israel and beyond. I think thats why weve got such a tremendous response to bringing these dates back from extinction, she says. 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. Other date seeds were found in caves near the Dead Sea. 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. You can use the pits from any fresh dates bought from the grocery store to grow a flourishing date palm. Learn more here. Buried beneath the rubble, Yadin unearthed a small stockpile of seeds stowed in a clay jar dating back 2,000 years. 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. This is the second year of harvesting fruit from this previously extinct tree, brought back to life by Dr. Elaine Solowey. In ancient times, the classical writers described in detail, the dates of ancient Judea. 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. For the next four decades, the ancient seeds were kept in a drawer at Tel Aviv's Bar-Ilan University. And though shes just nine-years-old, she carries an ancient heritage., Its possible to divide the world in two: the part that venerates the humble-seeming fruit known as the date, and the part that does not. Israel365 News is the only media outlet reporting on it. Please check your information and try again or call us at 1-800-759-0700. Who would have thought seeds thousands of years old would germinate?!? Specimen Pindo Palm Tree can be seen on the University of Georgia campus in Athens, GA. By June 2008, the tree had nearly a dozen fronds and was nearly 1.4 metres (4ft 7in) tall. Joanna Gillan is a Co-Owner, Editor and Writer of Ancient Origins. According to the researchers, they look similar to the Medjool date, but have a sweeter, honey-like flavor. 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. The plant was nicknamed "Methuselah," after the longest-lived person in the Bible. And I look at the plantations on Ketura. The fruit of the tree symbolised life and prosperity and was praised in ancient . Sallon has a hypothesis regarding Hannahs ancestors. 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. By Benjitheijneb (Own work) via Wikimedia Commons Get out the cigarsMethuselah, a. In the Kingdom of Judea it was a source of food, shelter, medicine, and shade. 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. The other date palms to have sprouted from these ancient seeds are known as Adam, Hannah, Judith, Jonah, Boaz and Uriel. The Judean date disappeared entirely, and this site is also in terrible danger of destruction. 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. Especially now, I think that people need that. Are the Misty Peaks of the Azores Remnants of the Legendary Atlantis? Judith and Hannah were female, but only Hannah flowered. But these werent ordinary dates. For thousands of years, the date palm was a staple crop. Theres a resurrection story you probably havent heard coming out of Judea. Methusaleh and all the ancient date trees can be visited by contacting Keren Kolot. Dr. In the Kingdom of Judea it was a source of food, shelter, medicine, and shade. Get email notification for articles from Nir Hasson. (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. Researchers revived a 2,000-year-old palm from seeds found inside an ancient Judean jar. [18] By May 2015, the palm was 3.0 metres (9.8ft) tall and was producing pollen. [3] Modern studies have been done in an attempt to confirm their medicinal value. The species is widely cultivated and is naturalized in . Why does Judaism matter and how is it connected to Christianity? Masada was the last stand of a small band of Jewish rebels who held out against three Roman legions for several years before committing mass suicide in 73 AD. After six years of growth Hannah flowered and researchers got excited at the possibility of resurrecting the Judean date after 2,000 years. The researchers discovered that the seeds were up to 30 percent larger than date seeds today, which probably meant the fruit was larger, too. SEE ALSO: Bottoms Up: Israeli Scientists Brew Beer With Resurrected Yeast From 5,000 Years Ago. What is the origin of the legend of the Christed Son who was born of a virgin on December 25th? Really? 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. Palm trees in the ruins of Babylon. 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. Phoenix dactylifera date or date palm is a flowering plant species in the palm family Arecaceae, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit. You can view our live recording of the harvesthere. Five years ago. Home Judean Date Palm Grown From 2,000 Year Old Seed Bears Fruit. Extensively described in antiquity, its image appeared on coins and synagogues as a symbol of the region while its fruits were famous for their taste, large size and medicinal . Sponsored by the Asper Foundation and Reichman University. 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). 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 species has earned the new name Judean date palm, along with the scientific name Phoenix dactylifera. If this is indeed a specific species, the author should make that clear and name the species. The date palm was even used as a symbol for Israel. In experiments praised by the Dalai Lama, for example, Dr. Sarah Sallon has shown that ancient Tibetan cures for cardiovascular disease really do work. Judean date palms are praised in the Bible. 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. 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. [5], When the Roman Empire invaded ancient Judea, thick forests of date palm up to 80 feet (24m) high and 7 miles (11km) wide covered the Jordan River valley from the Sea of Galilee in the north to the shores of the Dead Sea in the south. cultivation of dates in the region began to decline. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.. Our open community is dedicated to digging into the origins of our species on planet earth, and question wherever the discoveries might take us. 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. 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 . 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. 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! And while some people may seem content with the story as it stands, our view is that there existcountless mysteries, scientific anomalies and surprising artifacts thathave yet to be discovered and explained. She lives in Ashland, Ohio, with her husband, Brandon, and their four children, Lydia, Elvis, Henry, and Izzy (their Westie). Over the past decade, they grew an ancient Judean . Eventually, Hannah produced 111 dates weighing between 15 and 18 grams each. Though it was disputed for many years, there is conclusive evidence that Neanderthals bred with modern humans (Homo sapiens). But they're not the original date tree that grew here, Sallon said. [10] The plant was nicknamed "Methuselah" after the longest-lived person listed in the Bible. This week the Arava Institute celebrated the first Judean Dates ever to be grown into fruit since the time of King Herod." Climatic conditions at the Dead Sea may have contributed to the longevity of this oldest, directly dated, viable seed. Remove the seeds from the fruit, and wash them to remove any excess fruit particles. So valued was the tree that it became recognized as a symbol of good fortune in Judea. Available at: https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/6/eaax0384, Whelan, E. (2020) Fabled Palm Trees Reborn From Ancient Seeds In Israel. Ancient Origins. 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. Judean Date Palm Grown From 2,000 Year Old Seed Bears Fruit. [4], Its likeness was engraved on shekalim, the ancient Hebrew unit of currency. A Blazing Weapon: Unraveling the Mystery of Greek Fire. Ancient Chinese Earthquake Detector Invented 2,000 Years Ago Really Worked! [8] Asaph Goor, in his 21-page article History of the Date through the Ages in the Holy Land, never mentions any such Roman devastation of the date palms, but rather cites numerous contemporary accounts attesting to the continuing extent of date cultivation through the Roman period. Nevertheless, the taste and shape of these revived dates are consistent with the history of the dates that the two women have derived from their genetic research. 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. I am reminded of the prophecy of Israel returning to itshomeland before the End of Days, and this resurrected tree, past symbol of Israel seen on shekel coins, seems to best epitomize that ancient prediction. Dr. Solowey - and that at least one is a female! Dubbed Methuselah it was the oldest seed ever grown attracting wide international attention. 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. 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. In the middle of Israels Arava Desert, a farming community is bringing trees back to life thats bearing fruit from the time of the Bible. They are similar in taste and form to the modern day zahidi dates. Germination of 2000-year-old seeds of Phoenix dactylifera from Judean desert archaeological sites provides a unique opportunity to study the Judean date palm, described in antiquity for the quality, size, and medicinal properties of its fruit, but lost for centuries. [5], Climatological research has proven that immediately after 1000, the climate became colder and more humid, reaching a peak around 1600, followed by a century of severe heat and drought, and then again by colder times with more rainfall. 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. 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. Read more: Date palm grown from 2,000-year-old seed is a dad . No. Ages in months at time of photograph (AtoC) Adam (110 months), Jonah (63 months), and Uriel (54 months). Scientists Revive Ancient Trees From 2,000-Year-Old Seeds, Aided by Modern Ingenuity, a Taste of Ancient Judean Dates, Scientists pick and taste ancient dates for first time since the Second Temple, Dates from time of Maccabees & Jesus are revived, bring Jewish, Arab unity, Date Seeds Unearthed From the Time of Jesus Are Revived, Adding Fruit to Jewish, Arab Unity, Scientists grow fresh dates from a 6th BCE seed, What do 2,000-year-old Ancient Judean Dates taste like? The Judean date palm was once common in ancient Judea. Luckily two of the subsequent. At the heart of the ceremony was a small package of dates. Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, "New Life, From an Arctic Flower That Died 32,000 Years Ago", "After 2,000 Years, These Seeds Have Finally Sprouted", "2000-Year-Old Date Pit Sprouts In Israel", "2,000-Year-Old Seed Sprouts, Sapling Is Thriving", "Extinct Judean Date Palm Grows After 1500 Years", "1.4.8 The Crusader period and Little Ice Age, 1.0 ka to 0.4 ka BP, and 1.4.9 The Moslem-Ottoman period, 0.4 ka to 0.1 ka BP", "From Extinction to Resurrection: The Judean Date Palm Tree", "Origins and insights into the historic Judean date palm based on genetic analysis of germinated ancient seeds and morphometric studies", "Researchers confirm age of "Methuselah" tree", "2000-Year-Old Date Pit Sprouts in Israel", "Medicinal date palm from oldest known seed planted", "Date palm grown from 2,000-year-old seed is a dad", "Israeli researchers grow new date plants from 2,000-year-old seeds", "The genomes of ancient date palms germinated from 2,000 y old seeds", "Scientists Resurrect Mysterious Judean Date Palms From Biblical Era", "Extinct tree from the time of Jesus rises from the dead", How King Solomon and the Romans Shaped the Judean Date Palm, "Germination, Genetics, and Growth of an Ancient Date Seed", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Judean_date_palm&oldid=1142182782, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2018, Articles with disputed statements from July 2018, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from December 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 23:58. Hannah wassprouted from a 2,000 year-old seed, and pollinated by another Ancient Judean date tree. Credit: Sarah Sallon Ruth Schuster May 6, 2021 [20] The genomes of these Judean date palms germinated from ancient seeds were sequenced and analyzed. One was separated out as a control. There are other types of dates in the world, but according to Pliny the Elder (writing in the first century AD), none were as succulent or as sweet as the Judean date palm. Herod the Great was renowned for his ambitious projects and extravagant tastes. And though shes just nine-years-old, she carries an ancient heritage. 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. [13][15] Three of the seeds were subsequently planted at Ketura, Israel, in the Arabah in southern Israel. Long the only lonely representative of its kind, the Judean palm in now reproducing and giving researchers a unique glimpse back in time. Top Image: Methuselah is a Judean date palm grown from a 2,000-year-old seed found at Masada. 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. Growth and development of the seedling over 26 months was compatible with normal date . Sarah M. Wells is the author ofThe Family Bible Devotionaland two collections of poems,Between the Heron and the MossandPruningBurning Bushes. This seed, among others, was found during the excavations of Masada in the mid 1960s. It has allegedly served as both an aphrodisiac and a contraceptive, and as a cure for a wide range of health issues including cancer, malaria, and toothache. Both Adam and Jonah have produced flowers. After all, it took 15 years of patience, hope, anticipation, and ground-breaking agriculture techniques to make the seemingly botanically impossible feat possible. The tree so defined the local economy that it became a prime resource for the invading Roman army to destroy. 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. After this process, one seed was found to be damaged and was subsequently discarded. The site of the ceremony was not happenstance. To donate to Dr. Soloweys ancient dates research project, click here. Back in the 1960s, famed Israeli archeologist Professor Yigal Yadin discovered thousands of date seeds buried under rubble during his excavations of Masada. 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Watch the video below to learn more about the resurrection of this formerly extinct Judean date palm tree. . The date palm is one of the oldest cultivated fruit trees in the world and is highly symbolic in parts of the Middle East, as well as the Muslim, Christian and Jewish faiths. 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). 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. Mudlarker Finds Bronze Age Shoe on a UK Riverbank Dated 2,800 Years Old! Available at: https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/palm-tree-0013259. They nicknamed the tree Methuselah after Noahs grandfather, the oldest person who ever lived. Nature has this immense power to renovate itself, to rejuvenate itself. Although its place of origin is unknown because of long cultivation, it probably originated from lands around Iraq. 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). A little, young-looking palm tree named Judith was planted on Kibbutz Ketura recently. In March of this year, she was pollinated using pollen from Methuselah. Sallon says the dates seem to offer hope in todays world of uncertainty. In the Shephelah region or the Judean foothills of south-central Israel, archaeologists have unearthed the remains of a Seleucid Hellenistic fortress that was burned by Hasmonean (Judean) conquerors Israeli archaeologists have revealed the secrets behind the Assyrian siege ramp that conquered the ancient Judean town of Lachish. (2015) Extinct Tree Resurrected from Ancient Seeds is now a Dad. Ancient Origins. And though Sallon compares the taste of these ancient Judean dates to the Medjool, she reiterates that she is not a food expert and simply happens to eat the Medjool variety. CBN News got its first look ten years ago when Methuselah was still in the lab. Sallon explained that the taste is very close but not exactly the same as what the residents of the country would have eaten 2,000 years ago since in ancient times dates were grown from shoots from the best producing trees rather than by pollinating date palm flowers. When compared with three other cultivars of date palm, genetic tests showed the plant to be closely related to the old Egyptian variety Hayani, 19% of its DNA[clarification needed] being different, and an Iraqi cultivar (16% different DNA). Shes the fifth such tree to be planted there after Methuselah, Adam, Jonah and Hannah. Thanks Jo. The Bible says that it is not good for man to be alone. Most of the dates will go to research, but those that were tasted had, as Dr. Soloway said, a honey or caramel aftertaste., Methuselah is a date palm that Dr. Elaine Solowey sprouted from a 2,000-year-old date seed. So, for the kibbutz, it's a big venture, Sallon said. It took me some time to figure out how I might do it because you only have one chance with each seed, Dr. Elaine Solowey, who runs the Center for Sustainable Agriculture at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies in Kibbutz Ketura, says in an Israeli Foreign Ministry video made back in 2016 before it was known whether these trees would even bear fruit. And it is blossoming on Kibbutz Ketura in the Arava region, 40 minutes north of Eilat. In Scripture, Hannah prayed and prayed for a child, promising that if God would answer that prayer, she would dedicate her child to a life of serving the Lord. 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. And Solowey and Salone are hoping eventually to add the revived Judean dates to the harvest. The Judean Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is known from historical accounts for its sweet, large fruit, which even had medicinal properties. The first tree, Methuselah, was discovered to be male. Collect date seeds. This study, which confirms the long-term survival of date palm seeds, provides a unique opportunity to rediscover the origins of a historic date palm population that existed in Judea 2,000 years ago. symbolized ancient Judah and was mentioned in the Bible but when the nation it symbolized was conquered and sent into exile in 70 CE. Source: Haaretz, Holloway, A. So, in 2005, Sallon turned to Solowey, an expert on arid agriculture, for help. But the plant went extinct due to waves of conquest and intentional destruction.