In 2005, Dr. Sarah Sallon challenged her friend and fellow scientist, Dr. Elaine Solowey from the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, to see if they could get any of the date palm seeds to grow. 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. Mudlarker Finds Bronze Age Shoe on a UK Riverbank Dated 2,800 Years Old! All kinds of trees for food will grow up on both banks of the stream. Although its place of origin is unknown because of long cultivation, it probably originated from lands around Iraq. We are committed to delivering quality independent Christian journalism you can trust. This has been reissued in recently years as a 10 shekel coin. In 2005, several of these seeds were obtained by the Louis L. Borick Natural Medicine Research Center of the Hadassah Medical Organization, which gave them to Dr. Elaine Solowey at the Center for Sustainable Agriculture. To read about Dr. Soloweys work to protect other endangered plant species click here. Solowey planted some three thousand of them on Kibbutz Ketura, where each tree produces around 350 pounds of dates a year. A little, young-looking palm tree named Judith was planted on Kibbutz Ketura recently. 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. In the Kingdom of Judea it was a source of food, shelter, medicine, and shade. Hundreds of seeds were collected between 1963 and 1991. 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. It played a significant role in the Judean economy for about two millenniaat the least from the fifth century B.C.E. [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. Medieval Sea Monster Was Likely a Whale, New Research Reveals, What is Shambhala? Dates were famous in antiquity for medicinal value, said Solowey. Sign up to our free daily newsletter today to get all the most important stories directly to your inbox. Judith and Boaz date back to approximately mid-second century BCE. For the next four decades, the ancient seeds were kept in a drawer at Tel Aviv's Bar-Ilan University. [21], As of 2019, altogether thirty-two Judean date palm seeds have been grown from locations in the Dead Sea area, and six saplings (Adam, Jonah, Uriel, Boaz, Judith, and Hannah) have survived. Genesis 5:25-27 says that Methuselah lived 969 years! For more information and/or interview requests, please contact Institute Deputy Director Eliza Mayo. These plants are called Adam, Jonah, Uriel, Boaz, Judith, and Hannah. [18] By May 2015, the palm was 3.0 metres (9.8ft) tall and was producing pollen. She was also interested in how plants can be used for medicine. They called him Methuselah after the oldest person in the Bible. 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. The largest and most famous so far has been dubbed Methuselah, but the plant turned out to be a male, meaning it will never bear fruit. ***Please sign up forCBN Newslettersand download theCBN News appto ensure you keep receiving the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***. They are similar in taste and form to the modern day zahidi dates. For thousands of years, the date palm was a staple crop. 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. Ms. Solowey chose Methuselah to be the father, and she moved pollen from him onto Hannahs flowers. 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. Judean Date Palm Grown From 2,000 Year Old Seed Bears Fruit. The remaining 32 seeds were planted in a quarantined site at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies in Kibbutz Ketura in southern Israel. 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. The species has earned the new name Judean date palm, along with the scientific name Phoenix dactylifera. The Bible is our guidebook of ancient species, Sallon told CBN News. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing. Ezekiel 47:12. [16] Methuselah flowered in March 2011 and is male. How Credible Are the Superstitions Surrounding the Mystical Irish Fairy Trees? But centuries ago, the land that is now the United States was a very different place As Greek mythology goes, the universe was once a big soup of nothingness. Norimitsu Odachi: Who Could Have Possibly Wielded This Enormous 15th Century Japanese Sword? They all sat in storage for over 40 years. 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). In coming years, the team hopes to increase the size of the grove (and the yield) so that more people can give them a try., 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. Modern day studies have shown dates benefit digestion, lower cholesterol, improve memory, increase blood production, have aphrodisiac properties, and strengthen the nervous system. Later this fall, the Arava Institute plans to offer a limited number of dates for sale at the Kibbutz Ketura guesthouse. 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. Out of the changes from natural weather shifts, new life can grow again. Joanna Gillan is a Co-Owner, Editor and Writer of Ancient Origins. 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. It is not clear whether there was ever a single distinct Judean cultivar, but dates grown in the region have had distinctive reputations for thousands of years, and the date palm was anciently regarded as a symbol of the region and its fertility. 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. 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. 1. Wed have to take his word for it if it werent for the hard work of two women scientists. 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. 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. In daily prayers, we note how the righteous (tzadik) will grow. The Judean date palm is a date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) grown in Judea. The Judean Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is known from historical accounts for its sweet, large fruit, which even had medicinal properties. 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. 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. [9] A 1974 study blames the 15th-century disappearance of date palms from the Jericho-Ein Gedi region on human activity, but Goor raises the possibility that the climate change led to the springs in the area delivering less water, which harmed the water-intensive cultivation of date palms.[9]. A Blazing Weapon: Unraveling the Mystery of Greek Fire. Elaine Solowey, Desert Plant Pioneer, successfully grew an extinct Judean Date Palm tree from a 2000 year old seed. Theres a resurrection story you probably havent heard coming out of Judea. They became symbols of "beauty, precious shade and succulent plenty," Kershner wrote. We are planting our second, female date tree, who was sprouted from an ancient seed. 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. Exodus 15:27. In ancient times the Judean date palm was a staple source of food, shelter, and shade. And they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees; and they encamped there beside the water. On Friday, an unusual ceremony was held on a hilltop overlooking the Old City in Jerusalems Abu Tor neighborhood. Nature has this immense power to renovate itself, to rejuvenate itself. She has another goal she hopes to accomplish as soon as possible: Publishing a childrens story she wrote to encourage childrens curiosity with science. They were given the names Jonah, Uriel, Boaz, Judith, Hannah, and Adam. Really? Both seeds have been dated to between the 4th and 2nd centuries B.C.E. Methusaleh and all the ancient date trees can be visited by contacting Keren Kolot. 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. How could it be?" The remaining 32 seeds were planted in a quarantined site at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies in Kibbutz Ketura in southern Israel. We know from the Talmud that the Jews exiled to Babylonia [in Mesopotamia] cultivated date groves. Please check your information and try again or call us at 1-800-759-0700. Most people know of the great construction achievements of the dynastic Egyptians such as the pyramids and temples of the Giza Plateau area as well as the Sphinx. 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. Remove the seeds from the fruit, and wash them to remove any excess fruit particles. 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. Date palms generally thrive in hot arid regions and in Biblical times, were cultivated in the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea region. Judean date palms are praised in the Bible. Growth and development of the seedling over 26 months was compatible with normal date . Call (800) 700-7000 or request prayer. Methuselah and Hannah, which are the oldest, have more eastern DNA, while the other trees DNA is more western.. In biblical times, the Judean date palm was revered throughout the region for its medicinal qualities. 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. If you dont look back to the history you will not see the future. 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). Microsatellite genotyping of germinated seeds indicates that exchanges of genetic material occurred between the Middle East . (DtoF) Boaz (54 months), Judith (47 months), and Hannah (88 months). Dates tree grown by a 2,000-year-old seed retrieved from archaeological sites in the Judean Desert, in Ketura, Israel, September 2, 2020. It grew around the Dead Sea in the south, to the Sea of Galilee and the Hula Valley regions in the north. This is the second year of harvesting fruit from this previously extinct tree, brought back to life by Dr. Elaine Solowey. Ancient Judean date palm trees resurrected from ancient seeds. But they're not the original date tree that grew here, Sallon said. Ancient sources have suggested that the Judean date palm tree had many unique medicinal properties no longer found in todays palm varieties. DF_JST1058_2000_Year_Old_Date_Palms_HD1080_0_273, Date palms from 2000-Year-Old Date Seeds. sarahmariewells.com, Arava Institute for Environmental Studies. By the age of 10, most children in the United States have been taught all 50 states that make up the country. Over the past decade, they grew an ancient Judean . The findings suggest that it might be a good option for examining the lifetime of plant seeds. 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. Watch the video below to learn more about the resurrection of this formerly extinct Judean date palm tree. They selected 34 seeds they thought were the most viable. 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. According to Jewish tradition, the Children of Israel came out of Egypt with date palm saplings that were eventually planted in the land of Israel. 32 additional intact seeds were chosen, out of which 6 sprouted. You can view our live recording of the harvesthere. Its possible that they brought the seeds with them on their return to Zion, she said. But the plant went extinct due to waves of conquest and intentional destruction. After all, it took 15 years of patience, hope, anticipation, and ground-breaking agriculture techniques to make the seemingly botanically impossible feat possible. 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.
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