Like Methuselah, they have all been given Biblical names. To donate to Dr. Soloweys ancient dates research project, click here. 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. I too wonder if this is a specific species as date palms have been cultivated forever. 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. 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. Help us continue to be a voice for truth in the media by supporting CBN News for as little as $1. Interesting Engineering reports that Recently, Hannah's fruit was harvested for the first time.. [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. Methuselah was chosen to father the fruit and pollen from his plant was placed onto Hannah's flowers. Judith and Hannah were female, but only Hannah flowered. Its fruit was a staple of the Judean Desert and grew in thick forests along the Dead Sea and Jordan River valley. Thanks Jo. Israeli scientists found out, The Resurrection of 2000-Year-Old Ancient Date Seeds: New Fruit Sprouts from Bible Times Source. For the next four decades, the ancient seeds were kept in a drawer at Tel Aviv's Bar-Ilan University. But the plant went extinct due to waves of conquest and intentional destruction. 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. It is sometimes claimed that date growing as a commercial fruit export stopped at the end of 70 AD, when the Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans. The seeds of Judean date palms turn out to have remarkable longevity. Ages in months at time of photograph (AtoC) Adam (110 months), Jonah (63 months), and Uriel (54 months). The first leaves were plagued with white spots, which the researchers put down to insufficient nutrients, and it was thought that the plant would never survive. And I look at the plantations on Ketura. said Solowey. By the age of 10, most children in the United States have been taught all 50 states that make up the country. Sallon obtained five of those original seeds and gave them to Solowey. 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). We seek to retell the story of our beginnings. Dr. Solowey - and that at least one is a female! As a result, the tithing ceremony was held on Friday. SEE ALSO: Bottoms Up: Israeli Scientists Brew Beer With Resurrected Yeast From 5,000 Years Ago. By June 2008, the tree had nearly a dozen fronds and was nearly 1.4 metres (4ft 7in) tall. Israel365 News is the only media outlet reporting on it. 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. Methuselah is and for a long time researchers believed that this was the only Judean date palm they would ever see. (Guy Eisner / Sciencemag). 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. The Judean date palm is a date palm ( Phoenix dactylifera) grown in Judea. More than 850,000 date trees grow in Israel. 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. That allowed them to be exported all over the Roman empire and they had medicinal qualities, Sallon said. Photo: CBN News, Error: There was an internal error submitting your form. Studies indicate. 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). 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. Until Sallon initiated a project aimed at germinating ancient seeds to reintroduce extinct plants previously grown in the region and learn about their qualities. symbolized ancient Judah and was mentioned in the Bible but when the nation it symbolized was conquered and sent into exile in 70 CE. Seeds found in Judean desert are male and female, leading to hopes of producing dates. Growing in a greenhouse for the last nine years,Judith was recently transplanted in what Kibbutz Ketura calls the Ancient Judean Date Orchard. 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. Younger Methuselah. 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. This week the Arava Institute celebrated the first Judean Dates ever to be grown into fruit since the time of King Herod., They were given Biblical names: Adam, Boaz, Hannah, Jonah, Judith and Uriel. Hannah wassprouted from a 2,000 year-old seed, and pollinated by another Ancient Judean date tree. However, its value was also the source of its demise and eventual extinction. And Solowey and Salone are hoping eventually to add the revived Judean dates to the harvest. A previous experiment with the seeds produced a single male plant that sprouted in 2005 which the researchers named Methuselah. In the Kingdom of Judea it was a source of food, shelter, medicine, and shade. {amount} donation plus {fee_amount} to help cover fees. After this process, one seed was found to be damaged and was subsequently discarded. It grew around the Dead Sea in the south, to the Sea of Galilee and the Hula Valley regions in the north. Ancient Chinese Earthquake Detector Invented 2,000 Years Ago Really Worked! The remaining 32 seeds were planted in a quarantined site at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies in Kibbutz Ketura in southern Israel. They are similar in taste and form to the modern day zahidi dates. The Pindo Palm produces an edible date fruit used to make jelly, and is also known as the Jelly Palm. Recently, Hannahs fruit was harvested for the first time. Pollinated by Methuselah, Hannah had around 100 dates last year and this year she had more than 600 dates. Remove the seeds from the fruit, and wash them to remove any excess fruit particles. The harvested dates are undergoing study regarding their properties and nutritional values. 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. 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. [17] By November 2011 it was 2.5 metres (8ft 2in) high, having been transplanted from pot to earth. Date palms generally thrive in hot arid regions and in Biblical times, were cultivated in the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea region. 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. A little, young-looking palm tree named Judith was planted on Kibbutz Ketura recently. She was soon proven wrong. Microsatellite genotyping of germinated seeds indicates that exchanges of genetic material occurred between the Middle East . 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. Theres a resurrection story you probably havent heard coming out of Judea. Are the Misty Peaks of the Azores Remnants of the Legendary Atlantis? 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). 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. The tree itself was a source of shelter, its fruit . 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. 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). I wanted to see how medicinal the flora of Israel was and what it had been used for and so on. This remarkable feat confirms the long-term viability of the kernels once ensconced in succulent Judean dates, a fruit cultivar lost for centuries. I clicked on the link from Facebook because I remember date palms being grown and harvested in the San Diego area in the early 60's. Both seeds have been dated to between the 4th and 2nd centuries B.C.E. The genome sequences of the ancient Judean date palms were compared to those of 110 contemporary Phoenix dactylifera varieties and other wild Phoenix species . Eventually, Hannah produced 111 dates weighing between 15 and 18 grams each. She has a rich and varied career, ranging from teaching Read More. ( Arava Institute for Environmental Studies ). 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 date was so important to the region that it featured on ancient coinage, and even on Israel's 10-shekel coin today. Specimen Pindo Palm Tree can be seen on the University of Georgia campus in Athens, GA. The species of palm was thought to be extinct for 800 . 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. Holy Land Uncovered on location special from Kibbutz Ketura, where 2 female scientists created a Miracle!! After devising a method to sprout them, Solowey succeeded in sprouting seeds found in other places such as the Qumran caves in the area where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. 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. 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. And then I realized that many of these species had actually disappeared. 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. In 2011, the plant produced its first flowers and today, the living archaeological treasure continues to grow and thrive. Hundreds of seeds were collected between 1963 and 1991. [16] Methuselah flowered in March 2011 and is male. [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. As the researchers hoped would be the case with their revived date palms, plants irrigated from the Jerusalem waters would be uniquely vibrant and grant special medicinal qualities. 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. The seeds were germinated by warming and hydrating them slowly and gradually. One was separated out as a control. Need prayer? DF_JST1058_2000_Year_Old_Date_Palms_HD1080_0_273, Date palms from 2000-Year-Old Date Seeds. Ms. Solowey chose Methuselah to be the father, and she moved pollen from him onto Hannahs flowers. She writes and talks about the creativity and innovation taking place in Israel and beyond. 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. 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. Modern day studies have shown dates benefit digestion, lower cholesterol, improve memory, increase blood production, have aphrodisiac properties, and strengthen the nervous system. Scientists determined that Methuselah was of the Hayany breed originally from Egypt. NoCamels.com is the leading news website covering breakthrough innovation from Israel for a global audience. 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 Scientists Found Out, Bottoms Up: Israeli Scientists Brew Beer With Resurrected Yeast From 5,000 Years Ago, Israeli DNA Study Unveils Reconstructed Face Of Mysterious, Long-Lost Human Relative. Later this fall, the Arava Institute plans to offer a limited number of dates for sale at the Kibbutz Ketura guesthouse. Sign up to our free daily newsletter today to get all the most important stories directly to your inbox. Hannah was the first female tree. Were available 24/7. Great piece I had no idea about such amazing botanical work going on. 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. [19] As of February 2020, Methuselah had reached 3.5 metres (11ft). 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. Home Judean Date Palm Grown From 2,000 Year Old Seed Bears Fruit. For thousands of years, the date palm was a staple crop. 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. A land of wheat and barley, of vines, figs, and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey. 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. Female plants need male pollen to produce fruit, and all six of the new date palm trees are female, Sallon explains. And they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees; and they encamped there beside the water. 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. After this process, one seed was found to be damaged and was subsequently discarded. Following this success, six further preserved seeds were sprouted.[2]. until the 11th century C.E.but then it went extinct centuries ago. Plants have been produced from date palm seeds that have been buried for 2,000 years in old ruins and caves. It played a significant role in the Judean economy for about two millenniaat the least from the fifth century B.C.E. Its fruit was a staple of the Judean Desert and grew in thick forests along the Dead Sea and Jordan River valley. They selected 34 seeds they thought were the most viable. And lo, it came to pass that out of the earth Hannah and Judith sprouted. [7] However, study of contemporary sources indicates that the date industry continued in Judea throughout the Roman period and that, indeed, the Roman Imperial treasury collected a good deal of the profits. Fancy Sipping a Pint in a 1700-Year-Old Tree? Yes, the New York Times justbroke the storyof the children of Methuselah and Hannah, biblical date trees (that didnt meet on JDate) with some impressive history and something to teach at this perilous time as a lead up to the Jewish New Year., Just 30 miles north of the Red Sea, in the Negev Desert, scientists from the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies travelled back in time two millennia, becoming the first people to pick and sample dates from trees with roots stretching back to the days of Jesus and the Maccabees., Dr. A 15-year effort to germinate 2,000-year-old seeds from an ancient date palm is finally bearing fruit. The seedlings would later be moved to Kibbutz Ketura. [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. According to historical sources, the taste of them was something splendid. Available at: https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Seed-of-extinct-date-palm-sprouts-after-2-000-2628668.php, Sallon, S. et al. 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. The Bible says that it is not good for man to be alone. These semi-dry dates with a reddish blonde color were recently harvested. Methuselah the Judean Date Palm is still going strong even after sprouting from a 2,000-year-old seed. In addition to its honoured place in the history of Judea, the palm may contribute useful characteristics, such as environmental tolerance and disease resistance, to modern date cultivars. 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. 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! Out of the changes from natural weather shifts, new life can grow again. They were given the names Jonah, Uriel, Boaz, Judith, Hannah, and Adam. Scientists in Israel grow date plants from 2,000-year-old seeds. According to the researchers, they look similar to the Medjool date, but have a sweeter, honey-like flavor. About 100 ripe, tasty dates were cut from Hannah. Many books and videos show depictions of vast work forces hewing blocks of stone in the hot desert sun and carefully setting them into place. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing. Ezekiel 47:12. 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. 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. Also available on most smart TVs and streaming services. ( The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies ) So valued was the tree that it became recognized as a symbol of good fortune in Judea. In June of 2020, Hannah became the first Judean date palm tree, resurrected from the dust of ancient seeds, to bear fruit. 6. They dont read science journals, she tells NoCamels, noting that her friend, Jane Goodall, wrote the introduction to her unpublished childrens book. The Bible is our guidebook of ancient species, Sallon told CBN News. The other date palms to have sprouted from these ancient seeds are known as Adam, Hannah, Judith, Jonah, Boaz and Uriel. 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 . Ancient Origins 2013 - 2023Disclaimer- Terms of Publication - Privacy Policy & Cookies - Advertising Policy -Submissions - We Give Back - Contact us. Judith and Boaz date back to approximately mid-second century BCE. Other date seeds were found in caves near the Dead Sea. The plant was nicknamed "Methuselah," after the longest-lived person in the Bible. Phoenix dactylifera date or date palm is a flowering plant species in the palm family Arecaceae, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit. 32 additional intact seeds were chosen, out of which 6 sprouted. Now more have been grown and genetic analysis finds a twist in the origin story of the 'Judean date' A resurrected Judean date palm tree called Adam. Elaine Solowey of the Arava Institute of Environmental Studies with the tree named 'Judith. 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). Haaretz Daily Newspaper Ltd. All Rights Reserved. The remaining 32 seeds were planted in a quarantined site at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies in Kibbutz Ketura in southern Israel. 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. All kinds of trees for food will grow up on both banks of the stream. Three weeks later, the oldest tree to be successfully germinated sprouted. The remaining 33 were carefully soaked in water and fertilizer to encourage germination. 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. She was also interested in how plants can be used for medicine. Methusaleh was even given the Guinness WorldRecords designation as the oldest seed cultivated. 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. God is everywhereeven in the news. 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 . Government Bouncers on Your Church's Front Door? The researchers discovered that the seeds were up to 30 percent larger than date seeds today, which probably meant the fruit was larger, too. While the scientific and agricultural communities celebrated this landmark harvest, only Sallon, Solowey, a handful of the other scientists involved in the revival project and a few kibbutz members got to sample bits of this long-lost variety of dates, last tasted back in the times of Jesus and the Maccabees. The species of palm was thought to be extinct for 800 years but hundreds of seeds of. People are disturbed. The species has earned the new name Judean date palm, along with the scientific name Phoenix dactylifera. To read about Dr. Soloweys work to protect other endangered plant species click here. It was a harvest that grabbed a global media spotlight. (Guy Eisner / Sciencemag). 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. . 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 know from the Talmud that the Jews exiled to Babylonia [in Mesopotamia] cultivated date groves. SEE ALSO: Israeli DNA Study Unveils Reconstructed Face Of Mysterious, Long-Lost Human Relative. Sallon says the dates seem to offer hope in todays world of uncertainty. Five years ago. In biblical times, the Judean date palm was revered throughout the region for its medicinal qualities. The Pindo Palm Tree is cold tolerant to USDA Zone 7. reported that Methuselah was over ten-feet tall and had been used to pollinate a wild modern female date palm. It included the Jewish Sheheheyanu prayer recited on momentous occasions, as well as the traditional offering and tithing ceremony. After all, it took 15 years of patience, hope, anticipation, and ground-breaking agriculture techniques to make the seemingly botanically impossible feat possible. The remaining 33 were carefully soaked in water and fertilizer to encourage germination. 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.