Two beautiful bathtubs Hanukkah or the Jewish Festival of Lights is celebrated in memory of the recovery of the Second Temple in Jerusalem from the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BC. However, its value was also the source of its demise and eventual extinction. In ancient times, the classical writers described in detail, the dates of ancient Judea. But now, after 2,000 years, the Judean date palm is back and the sweet ancient fruit has been harvested once again. The harvested dates are undergoing study regarding their properties and nutritional values. Watch the video below to learn more about the resurrection of this formerly extinct Judean date palm tree. Available at: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/science/.premium-israeli-researchers-mate-2-000-year-old-date-seeds-hope-for-fruit-1.8503447, Kalman, M. (2005) Seed of extinct date palm sprouts after 2,000 years. SFGATE. Trees are like humans in that you need the pollen from a male tree to pollinate the flowers of a female plant. 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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. Ancient Origins 2013 - 2023Disclaimer- Terms of Publication - Privacy Policy & Cookies - Advertising Policy -Submissions - We Give Back - Contact us. In March of this year, she was pollinated using pollen from Methuselah. 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. 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. They were the first dates to ripen from date palms grown from seeds that are more than 2,000 years old. [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. They called him Methuselah after the oldest person in the Bible. Collect date seeds. Recently, Hannahs fruit was harvested for the first time. 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). Although its place of origin is unknown because of long cultivation, it probably originated from lands around Iraq. 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. Plants have been produced from date palm seeds that have been buried for 2,000 years in old ruins and caves. More than 850,000 date trees grow in Israel. By the age of 10, most children in the United States have been taught all 50 states that make up the country. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. A previous experiment with the seeds produced a single male plant that sprouted in 2005 which the researchers named Methuselah. The palm tree can appear on the coin either in combination with the mourning woman, or without her. ', 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. Luckily two of the subsequent. 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. No. Sallon says the dates seem to offer hope in todays world of uncertainty. SEE ALSO: Bottoms Up: Israeli Scientists Brew Beer With Resurrected Yeast From 5,000 Years Ago. The findings suggest that it might be a good option for examining the lifetime of plant seeds. Seeds found in Judean desert are male and female, leading to hopes of producing dates. As part of this endeavor, Dr. Solowey succeeded in germinating one of these ancient date seeds in 2005, initially thought to be botanically impossible. She was planted in 2019. This is something that came from the past and is still alive.. They selected 34 seeds they thought were the most viable. [16] Methuselah flowered in March 2011 and is male. It included the Jewish Sheheheyanu prayer recited on momentous occasions, as well as the traditional offering and tithing ceremony. A little, young-looking palm tree named Judith was planted on Kibbutz Ketura recently. But now, after 2,000 years, the Judean date palm is back and the sweet ancient fruit has been harvested once again. This opens the door to thousands of potential experiments. Methuselah the Judean Date Palm is still going strong even after sprouting from a 2,000-year-old seed. The Bible says that it is not good for man to be alone. The harvested fruit is currently being analyzed for its nutritional value. In 2011, the plant produced its first flowers and today, the living archaeological treasure continues to grow and thrive. How could it be?" And they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees; and they encamped there beside the water. In biblical times, the Judean date palm was revered throughout the region for its medicinal qualities. If this is indeed a specific species, the author should make that clear and name the species. Home Judean Date Palm Grown From 2,000 Year Old Seed Bears Fruit. Credit: Sarah Sallon Ruth Schuster May 6, 2021 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. 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. Dr. Elaine Solowey, director of the Center for Sustainable Agriculture of the Arava Institute, and Dr. Sarah Sallon, director of the Louis L. Borick Natural Medicine Research Center of Hadassah Hospital, harvested these ancient dates in the culmination of an ambitious, decades-long experiment to raise the biblical-era Phoenix dactylifera date palm from the dead. An ancient Israeli coin depicted a palm tree with two baskets of fruit beneath. 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). Fifteen years ago, the first tree Solowey sprouted was a male. The Judean dates harvested from Hannah have a light brown skin, fibrous and chewy honey-colored flesh, and is less sweet than the popular Medjool date. 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. Stay informed with the latest from CBN News delivered to your inbox. The seeds of Judean date palms turn out to have remarkable longevity. Judean Date Palm Revived from Extinction by Emily Frances - i24, Sept. 14th, 2020 "Dr. Elaine Solowey, Desert Plant Pioneer, successfully grew an extinct Judean Date Palm tree from a 2000 year old seed. Available at: https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/palm-tree-0013259. 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 . A date harvest from 2000-year-old seeds. After eight weeks, a small green shoot emerged from one seed, producing a sapling no one had seen in centuries and becoming the oldest known tree seed to germinate. The species of palm was thought to be extinct for 800 years but hundreds of seeds of. Sarah M. Wells is the author ofThe Family Bible Devotionaland two collections of poems,Between the Heron and the MossandPruningBurning Bushes. [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. Nefer Say Nefer - Was Nefertiti Buried in the Valley of the Queens? 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 is a date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) grown in Judea. The experiment worked. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.. 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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. By Benjitheijneb (Own work) via Wikimedia Commons Get out the cigarsMethuselah, a. Methuselah and Hannah, which are the oldest, have more eastern DNA, while the other trees DNA is more western.. Children today are the stewards of this planet. The date palms are named for Biblical figures. They were very dry. The first dates to ripen came from a palm tree named Hannah, which was grown from a seed about 10 years ago. 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 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. After this process, one seed was found to be damaged and was subsequently discarded. I think thats why weve got such a tremendous response to bringing these dates back from extinction, she says. Climatic conditions at the Dead Sea may have contributed to the longevity of this oldest, directly dated, viable seed. They are similar in taste and form to the modern day zahidi dates. Thanks Jo. 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. Hannah wassprouted from a 2,000 year-old seed, and pollinated by another Ancient Judean date tree. Uriel and Jonah date back to the first to second centuries CE. We are planting our second, female date tree, who was sprouted from an ancient seed. In this age of global warming and species loss, I thought its important to try and bring back to life these ancient varieties. The age of the seeds range from some of the oldest germinated seeds in the world - Methuselah, Hannah, and Adam with a carbon date to the first to fourth centuries BC, to the mid-second century BC to mid-first century AD plants known as Judith and Boaz, to the youngest of the Judean date palms - Uriel and Jonah are the youngest (first to second centuries AD). This seed, among others, was found during the excavations of Masada in the mid 1960s. 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. Now a major discovery has come regarding these projects, from of all places, his bathtub. A 15-year effort to germinate 2,000-year-old seeds from an ancient date palm is finally bearing fruit. The seeds were held in storage for 40 years at Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan.. One was separated out as a control. But the plant went extinct due to waves of conquest and intentional destruction. reported that Methuselah was over ten-feet tall and had been used to pollinate a wild modern female date palm. 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. 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. 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. They dont read science journals, she tells NoCamels, noting that her friend, Jane Goodall, wrote the introduction to her unpublished childrens book. 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. She lives in Ashland, Ohio, with her husband, Brandon, and their four children, Lydia, Elvis, Henry, and Izzy (their Westie). They are drier and sweeter than the medjool date and taste like natural honey. Morphology of six germinated ancient Judean date seeds before planting. 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. Thegoal of Ancient Origins is to highlight recent archaeological discoveries, peer-reviewed academic research and evidence, as well as offering alternative viewpoints and explanations of science, archaeology, mythology, religion and history around the globe. So, for the kibbutz, it's a big venture, Sallon said. But it takes a lot of hard work, time, and money to do what we do. Microsatellite genotyping of germinated seeds indicates that exchanges of genetic material occurred between the Middle East . The Judean dates from the time of Christ had long been considered extinct. This is the second year of harvesting fruit from this previously extinct tree, brought back to life by Dr. Elaine Solowey. One that disappeared centuries ago was the Judean date. 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. 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. (Guy Eisner / Sciencemag). DF_JST1058_2000_Year_Old_Date_Palms_HD1080_0_273, Date palms from 2000-Year-Old Date Seeds. Fruit of the date palm was considered a staple food in the Judaean Desert, as it was a source of food and its tree of shelter and shade for thousands of years, and became a recognized symbol of the Kingdom of Judah. said Solowey. Why? The same is true for date palms. Dr. Tareq Abu Hamed, Director of the Arava Institute at Kibbutz Ketura, sees this as. Goor only detects a decline in date cultivation through the period of Early Arab rule and especially during the Crusades, when he notes that the devastation of the region was particularly hard on the palm plantations. 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. And here we are actually planting history at the Arava Institute. Palm trees in the ruins of Babylon. 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. Very much like the lyrics of the famous She may be ancient Egypts most famous face, but the quest to find the eternal resting place of Queen Nefertiti has never been hotter. But I will secretly plant one of the seeds from Hannah here and hope that in another 20 years, it will produce fruit.. Growth and development of the seedling over 26 months was compatible with normal date . The remaining 32 seeds were planted in a quarantined site at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies in 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. People are disturbed. These unique dates are currently being kept cool in storage. In experiments praised by the Dalai Lama, for example, Dr. Sarah Sallon has shown that ancient Tibetan cures for cardiovascular disease really do work. Ms. Solowey chose Methuselah to be the father, and she moved pollen from him onto Hannahs flowers. Soak them in a bowl of cool water for 48 hours. 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. Its fruit was a staple of the Judean Desert and grew in thick forests along the Dead Sea and Jordan River valley. Five years ago. 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! her team just so happens to have one other Judean date palm on hand in . 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. There are two groups of date species eastern and western. According to historical sources, the taste of them was something splendid. Cultivation of dates in the region almost disappeared after the fourteenth century CE from a combination of climate change and infrastructure decay but has been revived in modern times. Its a childrens story about the science and what it represents., Viva Sarah Press is a journalist and speaker. The remaining 33 were carefully soaked in water and fertilizer to encourage germination. The remaining 32 seeds were planted in a quarantined site at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies in Kibbutz Ketura in southern Israel. Hundreds of seeds were collected between 1963 and 1991. Help us continue to be a voice for truth in the media by supporting CBN News for as little as $1. [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. During the Byzantine and Arab periods (4th to 11th century AD) the Judean date palms were barely holding on and the continued waves of conquest and destruction meant that by the 19th century, no traces of these historic plantations remained, according to a study conducted about the trees in 2020. The site of the ceremony was not happenstance. Judean Date Palm Grown From 2,000 Year Old Seed Bears Fruit. 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. 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. Three weeks later, the oldest tree to be successfully germinated sprouted. After 2,000 years, the formerly extinct Judean date palm was brought back to life by two women scientists in 2005. As of February 2020, Adam was 1.5 meters high (1.6 yards). Were available 24/7. Spanish conquistadors couldn't believe their eyes while exploring the rugged terrain of the Andes during their invasion of Peru. How Credible Are the Superstitions Surrounding the Mystical Irish Fairy Trees? The first of the ancient date seedlings, Methusaleh, is named for the oldest person mentioned in the Bible. Until Sallon initiated a project aimed at germinating ancient seeds to reintroduce extinct plants previously grown in the region and learn about their qualities. [19] As of February 2020, Methuselah had reached 3.5 metres (11ft). In biblical times, the Judean date palm was revered throughout the region for its medicinal qualities. 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. 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. The Israeli scientists and horticulturists are now trying to find a way to use the tissue culture and make hundreds of thousands of exact replicas of Hannah, the date-palm tree germinatedfrom a seed dating back two millennia. The Pindo Palm produces an edible date fruit used to make jelly, and is also known as the Jelly Palm. Our open community is dedicated to digging into the origins of our species on planet earth, and question wherever the discoveries might take us. It takes time for seedlings to become seed-bearing trees, but eventually, that time came. On Friday, an unusual ceremony was held on a hilltop overlooking the Old City in Jerusalems Abu Tor neighborhood. Hannahs DNA is reminiscent of that of ancient trees from Mesopotamia, todays Iraq, as is the modern zahidi variety, which is considered an Iraqi species. And though shes just nine-years-old, she carries an ancient heritage. Elaine Solowey of the Arava Institute of Environmental Studies with the tree named 'Judith.
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