In early 2019, three of the six trees named by Dr. Solowey Adam, Jonah and Hannah were moved out of their greenhouse home to be planted outdoors at the Arava Institutes Daniel Fischel & Sylvia Neil Research & Visitors Park. People are disturbed. Available at: https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Seed-of-extinct-date-palm-sprouts-after-2-000-2628668.php, Sallon, S. et al. Although its place of origin is unknown because of long cultivation, it probably originated from lands around Iraq. Great piece I had no idea about such amazing botanical work going on. If you dont look back to the history you will not see the future. 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. 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). Judean date palms were wiped . Understanding the Mysterious Kingdom of Shambhala, Alleged Sighting of the Mythical Manananggal in the Philippines Causes Public Anxiety, The Green Children of Woolpit: Legendary Visitors from Another World, The Evidence is Cut in Stone: A Compelling Argument for Lost High Technology in Ancient Egypt, Caesars Savage Human Skewers Unearthed In German Fort. Then, two things happened: either Chaos or Gaia created the universe as we know it, or Ouranos and Tethys gave birth to the first beings. How could it be?" 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. Need prayer? After this process, one seed was found to be damaged and was subsequently discarded. Climatic conditions at the Dead Sea may have contributed to the longevity of this oldest, directly dated, viable seed. A 15-year effort to germinate 2,000-year-old seeds from an ancient date palm is finally bearing fruit. 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. ', Israeli Researchers Mate 2,000-year-old Date Seeds, Hope for Fruit, Canaanite Palace Built on a Fault Was Destroyed by Quake 3,700 Years Ago, Scientists Find New Way Climate Change Can Ruin Life as We Know It. Judean date palm in 2012. 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. It is chronicled in the Bible, Quran, and ancient literature for its diverse powers. Luckily two of the subsequent. They became symbols of "beauty, precious shade and succulent plenty," Kershner wrote. She was also interested in how plants can be used for medicine. Exodus 15:27. But the plant went extinct due to waves of conquest and intentional destruction. until the 11th century C.E.but then it went extinct centuries ago. [10] The plant was nicknamed "Methuselah" after the longest-lived person listed in the Bible. The seeds were germinated by warming and hydrating them slowly and gradually. The seeds were held in storage for 40 years at Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan.. The dates flavor is similar to medjool, semi-dry with honey tones. 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. For thousands of years, the date palm was a staple crop. This is the second year of harvesting fruit from this previously extinct tree, brought back to life by Dr. Elaine Solowey. They had experienced a very dry and sheltered environment for millennia. Cultivation of dates in the region almost disappeared after the fourteenth century AD from a combination of climate change and infrastructure decay but has been revived in modern times. 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. Ancient Chinese Earthquake Detector Invented 2,000 Years Ago Really Worked! Fifteen years ago, the first tree Solowey sprouted was a male. The researchers discovered that the seeds were up to 30 percent larger than date seeds today, which probably meant the fruit was larger, too. . A little, young-looking palm tree named Judith was planted on Kibbutz Ketura recently. While waiting for the results of cross-pollination with the Egyptian 'date' ;-) I pray that more seeds be given to the researcher (and proud mama!) Hundreds of seeds were collected between 1963 and 1991. According to historical sources, the taste of them was something splendid. But now, after 2,000 years, the Judean date palm is back and the sweet ancient fruit has been harvested once again. 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. Methuselah and Hannah, which are the oldest, have more eastern DNA, while the other trees DNA is more western.. 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. Why? Dates were famous in antiquity for medicinal value, said Solowey. Judean Date Palm Grown From 2,000 Year Old Seed Bears Fruit. Methuselah, Adam, and Hannah date back to the first to fourth centuries BCE. But it takes a lot of hard work, time, and money to do what we do. I wanted to see how medicinal the flora of Israel was and what it had been used for and so on. 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. Other date seeds were found in caves near the Dead Sea. Pollinated by Methuselah, Hannah had around 100 dates last year and this year she had more than 600 dates. They were the first dates to ripen from date palms grown from seeds that are more than 2,000 years old. 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. Back in the 1960s, famed Israeli archeologist Professor Yigal Yadin discovered thousands of date seeds buried under rubble during his excavations of Masada. The first dates to ripen came from a palm tree named Hannah, which was grown from a seed about 10 years ago. 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. 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. Home Judean Date Palm Grown From 2,000 Year Old Seed Bears Fruit. Years ago at Masada, archaeologists found a jar of those ancient date seeds. Wed have to take his word for it if it werent for the hard work of two women scientists. 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. Available at: https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/6/eaax0384, Whelan, E. (2020) Fabled Palm Trees Reborn From Ancient Seeds In Israel. Ancient Origins. In ancient times the Judean date palm was a staple source of food, shelter, and shade. We seek to retell the story of our beginnings. AtAncient Origins, we believe that one of the most important fields of knowledge we can pursue as human beings is our beginnings. Sponsored by the Asper Foundation and Reichman University. 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. They dont read science journals, she tells NoCamels, noting that her friend, Jane Goodall, wrote the introduction to her unpublished childrens book. ***Please sign up forCBN Newslettersand download theCBN News appto ensure you keep receiving the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***. Last week, when the first dates ripened, a harvest was organized. 2023 The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc., A nonprofit 501 (c)(3) Charitable Organization. Sallon is hopeful that Hannah, a female date tree, will flower this year and the plant could be pollinated by Methuselah - a tree the team grew from a 1,900-year-old Judean date palm seed in 2008. Methuselah was chosen to father the fruit and pollen from his plant was placed onto Hannah's flowers. Government Bouncers on Your Church's Front Door? In the mid-1900s, archaeologists discovered date palm seeds stored in an ancient jar in the ruins of the palace of Herod the Great in Masada, Israel. Morphology of six germinated ancient Judean date seeds before planting. Judith and Hannah were female, but only Hannah flowered. 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. Methuselah the Judean Date Palm is still going strong even after sprouting from a 2,000-year-old seed. According to the researchers, they look similar to the Medjool date, but have a sweeter, honey-like flavor. However, its value was also the source of its demise and eventual extinction. Photo: CBN News, Error: There was an internal error submitting your form. The remaining 32 seeds were planted in a quarantined site at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies in Kibbutz Ketura in southern Israel. The genome sequences of the ancient Judean date palms were compared to those of 110 contemporary Phoenix dactylifera varieties and other wild Phoenix species . The harvest of the much-extolled but long-lost Judean dates was something of a scientific miracle. Dr. Solowey - and that at least one is a female! 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 . Judith and Boaz date back to approximately mid-second century BCE.