We are planting our second, female date tree, who was sprouted from an ancient seed. One that disappeared centuries ago was the Judean date. Photo: CBN News, Error: There was an internal error submitting your form. Seeds found in Judean desert are male and female, leading to hopes of producing dates. 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 they're not the original date tree that grew here, Sallon said. Solowey planted some three thousand of them on Kibbutz Ketura, where each tree produces around 350 pounds of dates a year. 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. The tree and its fruit are mentioned in the Song of Songs and Psalms and featured on coins throughout the region. Out of the changes from natural weather shifts, new life can grow again. The Pindo Palm Tree is cold tolerant to USDA Zone 7. Scientists Resurrect Judean Date Palms From Biblical Era - Science The seeds were germinated by warming and hydrating them slowly and gradually. If this is indeed a specific species, the author should make that clear and name the species. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. In the paper published by Science Advances, the scientists say the genetic relationships between the ancient date and current varieties show Methuselah and Adam close to eastern modern varieties Fardh4 and Khalass, respectively, assigned to current Arabian Gulf varieties; Hannah and Judith related to modern Iraqi varieties Khastawi and Khyara, respectively; and Uriel, Boaz, and Jonah, the most western genotypes, related to modern Moroccan varieties, Mahalbit, Jihel, and Medjool, respectively.. Dr. Solowey - and that at least one is a female! Methuselah and Hannah, which are the oldest, have more eastern DNA, while the other trees DNA is more western.. [citation needed] The tree so defined the local economy that the Roman emperor Vespasian celebrated the reconquest after the First Jewish Revolt (6670 AD) by minting Judaea Capta coinage, a series of coins sometimes depicting Judaea as a mourning woman beneath a date palm. The fruits from these seven species were the only acceptable plant offerings in the Temple and their first fruits were brought to be eaten in Jerusalem. New Fruit from Old Seeds - Biblical Archaeology Society The dates flavor is similar to medjool, semi-dry with honey tones. It was a harvest that grabbed a global media spotlight. 2,000-year-old Judean date palm grown from ancient seeds - GOOD Ms. Solowey chose Methuselah to be the father, and she moved pollen from him onto Hannahs flowers. Throughout the history of civilization, the concept of the apocalypse has been ever present, in one way or another. Both seeds have been dated to between the 4th and 2nd centuries B.C.E. You can use the pits from any fresh dates bought from the grocery store to grow a flourishing date palm. Thank God for the faithfulness of his people though the ages - to leave these seeds, and to find and nurture one to grow. They are drier and sweeter than the medjool date and taste like natural honey. Five years ago. Methuselah is and for a long time researchers believed that this was the only Judean date palm they would ever see. 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. Theres a resurrection story you probably havent heard coming out of Judea. We know from the Talmud that the Jews exiled to Babylonia [in Mesopotamia] cultivated date groves. 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. [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. Why? 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. It became the Jews symbol of grace and elegance and was often bestowed by them to women. For example, Davids beautiful daughter was named Tamar. But I will secretly plant one of the seeds from Hannah here and hope that in another 20 years, it will produce fruit.. They all sat in storage for over 40 years. And it is blossoming on Kibbutz Ketura in the Arava region, 40 minutes north of Eilat. Following this success, six further preserved seeds were sprouted.[2]. But the plant went extinct due to waves of conquest and intentional destruction. Spanish conquistadors couldn't believe their eyes while exploring the rugged terrain of the Andes during their invasion of Peru. 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. The harvested fruit is currently being analyzed for its nutritional value. Are the Misty Peaks of the Azores Remnants of the Legendary Atlantis? Its mentioned in the Bible as one of the seven species found in the ancient Land of Israel. From Extinction to Resurrection: The Judean Date Palm Tree 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. The genomes of ancient date palms germinated from 2,000 y old seeds - PNAS Help us continue to be a voice for truth in the media by supporting CBN News for as little as $1. Six Ancient Plants From 2,000-Year-Old Seeds Have Been Grown - Newsweek They are similar in taste and form to the modern day zahidi dates. 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. Those date palms of modern day Israel are modern and they were imported after the founding of the State in the 1950s. As part of this endeavor, Dr. Solowey succeeded in germinating one of these ancient date seeds in 2005, initially thought to be botanically impossible. Make sure to buy dates that haven't been pitted. The part that does is home to hundreds of millions of people, from the Atlantic coast of Morocco across North Africa and Egypt to Mesopotamia and east to India., TEL972-8-6356618FAX972-8-6356634EMAILinfo@arava.org, 1320 Centre Street, Suite 206Newton Centre, MA 02459, USATEL1-617-266-7100EMAILinfo@friendsofarava.org, Their names are Adam, Jonah, Uriel, Boaz, Judith, and Hannah, and their ages are well, actually, this ones a bit complicated., Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation, Energy Security: The Role of Renewable Energy Sources, Practical Challenges of Photovoltaic Systems in the Rural Bedouin Villages in the Negev, Center for Transboundary Water Management, Evidence-based wastewater monitoring and policy for addressing the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel, Decentralized Wastewater Management and Governance, Long Term Ecological Monitoring (LTER) in Wadi Shita, Offshore Zionism: Israel-Africa and Green Development, Jordan-Israel Center for Community, Environment & Research, Research in Political Ecology in the Middle East, The Last Straw: Conservation, Control, and the Eco-Political Life of Camels in the Negev Highlands, Sense of Place in an Era of Metabolic Rift, Daniel Fischel & Sylvia Neil Research & Visitors Park, Origins and insights into the historic Judean date palm based on genetic analysis of germinated ancient seeds and morphometric studies, The Albert B. Glickman Peace-building Leadership Seminar, Daniel Fischel & Sylvia Neil Outdoor Research & Visitors Park, Arava Alumni Peace & Environmental Network, Center for Applied Environmental Diplomacy, Applied Environmental Diplomacy: Pathways to Sustainability in the Jordan River Basin, Annual Cross-Border Environmental Cooperation Conference, Annual Reports, Financial Statements & Publications, After 2,000 Years, These Seeds Have Finally Sprouted, Scientists in Israel grow date plants from 2,000-year-old seeds, Dates Like Jesus Ate? A date harvest from 2000-year-old seeds. 2023 The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc., A nonprofit 501 (c)(3) Charitable Organization. until the 11th century C.E.but then it went extinct centuries ago. Scientists determined that Methuselah was of the Hayany breed originally from Egypt. Home Judean Date Palm Grown From 2,000 Year Old Seed Bears Fruit. This remarkable feat confirms the long-term viability of the kernels once ensconced in succulent Judean dates, a fruit cultivar lost for centuries. They were given the names Jonah, Uriel, Boaz, Judith, Hannah, and Adam. 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. Watch the video below to learn more about the resurrection of this formerly extinct Judean date palm tree. God is everywhereeven in the news. The experiment seeks to rediscover the origins of the historic date palm population and confirm the date seeds long-term durability, while shedding light on ancient cultivation techniques that nurtured this unique fruit and exploring its potential relevance for modern date agronomy. And then I realized that many of these species had actually disappeared. On Friday, an unusual ceremony was held on a hilltop overlooking the Old City in Jerusalems Abu Tor neighborhood. The seedlings would later be moved to Kibbutz Ketura. 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. 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. But then, in 2005, botanical researcher Elaine Solowey decided to plant one and see what, if anything, would sprout. In March of this year, she was pollinated using pollen from Methuselah. Judith and Hannah were female, but only Hannah flowered. 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. Extinct Tree Grows Anew From Ancient Jar of Seeds - Treehugger I wrote about the date, from the point of view of the date, he goes to sleep during the siege of Masada and literally wakes up in a laboratory. Ancient Judean date palm trees resurrected from ancient seeds. 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. Stay informed with the latest from CBN News delivered to your inbox. Interesting Engineering reports that Recently, Hannah's fruit was harvested for the first time.. 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. 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. 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. We seek to retell the story of our beginnings. Eventually, Hannah produced 111 dates weighing between 15 and 18 grams each. Recently, Hannahs fruit was harvested for the first time. 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. 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. 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. The tree itself was a source of shelter, its fruit . They dont read science journals, she tells NoCamels, noting that her friend, Jane Goodall, wrote the introduction to her unpublished childrens book. SEE ALSO: Bottoms Up: Israeli Scientists Brew Beer With Resurrected Yeast From 5,000 Years Ago. www.vivaspress.com. But now, after 2,000 years, the Judean date palm is back and the sweet ancient fruit has been harvested once again. 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. The two stories are related, she said, because people destroyed the trees and now the land. The Judean date palm is a date palm ( Phoenix dactylifera) grown in Judea. And Solowey and Salone are hoping eventually to add the revived Judean dates to the harvest. BEST OF 2021: Forests of Judean date palm trees once covered ancient Israel, from Lake Galilee to the Dead Sea. 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. Plants have been produced from date palm seeds that have been buried for 2,000 years in old ruins and caves. All kinds of trees for food will grow up on both banks of the stream. 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. These unique dates are currently being kept cool in storage. Although its place of origin is unknown because of long cultivation, it probably originated from lands around Iraq. Ages in months at time of photograph (AtoC) Adam (110 months), Jonah (63 months), and Uriel (54 months). Date palms generally thrive in hot arid regions and in Biblical times, were cultivated in the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea region. SEE ALSO: Israeli DNA Study Unveils Reconstructed Face Of Mysterious, Long-Lost Human Relative. CBN Partners provide hope to those who are suffering! In biblical times, the Judean date palm was revered throughout the region for its medicinal qualities. Actually, this one came from Qumran -- was found in the caves -- and much to our astonishment, she also sprouted, said Elaine Solowey, the botanist who coaxed the seeds to grow. They had experienced a very dry and sheltered environment for millennia. 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. 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. Collect date seeds. To donate to Dr. Soloweys ancient dates research project, click here. They selected 34 seeds they thought were the most viable. Tree Grown From 2,000-Year-Old Seed Has Reproduced Medieval Sea Monster Was Likely a Whale, New Research Reveals, What is Shambhala? But now, after 2,000 years, the Judean date palm is back and the sweet ancient fruit has been harvested once again. 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. She has a rich and varied career, ranging from teaching Read More. A 15-year effort to germinate 2,000-year-old seeds from an ancient date palm is finally bearing fruit. 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. Luckily two of the subsequent. Submitted by escamp on August 31, 2015 - 3:04pm. The plant was nicknamed "Methuselah," after the longest-lived person in the Bible. 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!) By the age of 10, most children in the United States have been taught all 50 states that make up the country. 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 . But the plant went extinct due to waves of conquest and intentional destruction. The experiment worked. No. 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? Please check your information and try again or call us at 1-800-759-0700. 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. 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. Scientists Resurrect Mysterious Judean Date Palms From Biblical Era Methuselah the tree was grown from a 2,000-year-old seed found at Masada. Joanna completed a Bachelor of Science (Psychology) degree in Australia and published research in the field of Educational Psychology. The date palms are named for Biblical figures. NoCamels.com is the leading news website covering breakthrough innovation from Israel for a global audience. The species has earned the new name Judean date palm, along with the scientific name Phoenix dactylifera. 2,000-Year-Old Seed Sprouts, Sapling Is Thriving - Science Methuselah was grown from a seed that was discovered at the archaeological excavations at Masada, while Hannah is from a seed discovered a little further north along the Dead Sea at Qumran, the site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Archaeologists have been able to take a closer look at one of the United Kingdoms most famous shipwrecks. The date palms are named for Biblical figures. 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. The two researchers pollinated the flowers from Hannah with those of Methuselah to reconstruct the taste of ancient date palms to the maximum extent possible. Elaine Solowey of the Arava Institute of Environmental Studies with the tree named 'Judith. In the Kingdom of Judea it was a source of food, shelter, medicine, and shade. Modern day studies have shown dates benefit digestion, lower cholesterol, improve memory, increase blood production, have aphrodisiac properties, and strengthen the nervous system. They became symbols of "beauty, precious shade and succulent plenty," Kershner wrote. 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 . 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. [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. So, for the kibbutz, it's a big venture, Sallon said. Learn more here. 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. Long the only lonely representative of its kind, the Judean palm in now reproducing and giving researchers a unique glimpse back in time. Over the past decade, they grew an ancient Judean . Government Bouncers on Your Church's Front Door? Hannah was the first female tree. They called him Methuselah after the oldest person in the Bible. 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. [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. 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. (Guy Eisner / Sciencemag). The other date palms to have sprouted from these ancient seeds are known as Adam, Hannah, Judith, Jonah, Boaz and Uriel. A Long-Lost Legendary Roman Fruit Tree Germinated From 2,000-Year-Old Seeds Hundreds of seeds were collected between 1963 and 1991. ', 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. In 2011, the plant produced its first flowers and today, the living archaeological treasure continues to grow and thrive. The genome sequences of the ancient Judean date palms were compared to those of 110 contemporary Phoenix dactylifera varieties and other wild Phoenix species . If you dont look back to the history you will not see the future. In the Kingdom of Judea it was a source of food, shelter, medicine, and shade.