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A little, young-looking palm tree named Judith was planted on Kibbutz Ketura recently. They were the first dates to ripen from date palms grown from seeds that are more than 2,000 years old. Throughout the history of civilization, the concept of the apocalypse has been ever present, in one way or another. Dr. The remaining 32 seeds were planted in a quarantined site at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies in Kibbutz Ketura in southern Israel. They dont read science journals, she tells NoCamels, noting that her friend, Jane Goodall, wrote the introduction to her unpublished childrens book. 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. The findings suggest that it might be a good option for examining the lifetime of plant seeds. After 2,000 years, the formerly extinct Judean date palm was brought back to life by two women scientists in 2005. 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. Really? 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. 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. Buried beneath the rubble, Yadin unearthed a small stockpile of seeds stowed in a clay jar dating back 2,000 years. Five years ago. 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. Until Sallon initiated a project aimed at germinating ancient seeds to reintroduce extinct plants previously grown in the region and learn about their qualities. But it takes a lot of hard work, time, and money to do what we do. Climatic conditions at the Dead Sea may have contributed to the longevity of this oldest, directly dated, viable seed. The Pindo Palm produces an edible date fruit used to make jelly, and is also known as the Jelly Palm. Sallon obtained five of those original seeds and gave them to Solowey. By June 2008, the tree had nearly a dozen fronds and was nearly 1.4 metres (4ft 7in) tall. 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 . symbolized ancient Judah and was mentioned in the Bible but when the nation it symbolized was conquered and sent into exile in 70 CE. And then I realized that many of these species had actually disappeared. However, its value was also the source of its demise and eventual extinction. And here we are actually planting history at the Arava Institute. Joanna Gillan is a Co-Owner, Editor and Writer of Ancient Origins. The seeds of Judean date palms turn out to have remarkable longevity. Three weeks later, the oldest tree to be successfully germinated sprouted. Dr. Sarah Sallon came up with the initiative to germinate some ancient seeds[12] and persuaded the archaeological storage at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem to share some. Back in the 1960s, famed Israeli archeologist Professor Yigal Yadin discovered thousands of date seeds buried under rubble during his excavations of Masada. The ancient fruit made tonics for longevity, laxatives, and aphrodisiacs; lore claims they could cure infections. 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. 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. A previous experiment with the seeds produced a single male plant that sprouted in 2005 which the researchers named Methuselah. Radiocarbon dating at the University of Zurich confirmed the seeds dated from between 155 BC to 64 AD. Collect date seeds. In the future, the hope is for Methuselah, a male tree, to be bred with a female to produce the same date variety eaten commonly in ancient Judea, where it was valued as much for its delicious flavor as for its medicinal properties., We all know the resurrection story from 2,000 years ago described in the pages of the Christian bible. 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. 3 min read. The two stories are related, she said, because people destroyed the trees and now the land. The species of palm was thought to be extinct for 800 years but hundreds of seeds of. She was soon proven wrong. [3] Modern studies have been done in an attempt to confirm their medicinal value. 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. And Solowey and Salone are hoping eventually to add the revived Judean dates to the harvest. The seeds were held in storage for 40 years at Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan.[10][11]. Growing in a greenhouse for the last nine years,Judith was recently transplanted in what Kibbutz Ketura calls the Ancient Judean Date Orchard. Modern day studies have shown dates benefit digestion, lower cholesterol, improve memory, increase blood production, have aphrodisiac properties, and strengthen the nervous system. Need prayer? Sign up to our free daily newsletter today to get all the most important stories directly to your inbox. In June of 2020, Hannah became the first Judean date palm tree, resurrected from the dust of ancient seeds, to bear fruit. Haaretz Daily Newspaper Ltd. 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Changes in weather and growing conditions combined with human activity are likely to blame for the disappearance of the Judean date palm sometime in the Middle Ages. To read about Dr. Soloweys work to protect other endangered plant species click here. All kinds of trees for food will grow up on both banks of the stream. In the Kingdom of Judea it was a source of food, shelter, medicine, and shade. NoCamels.com is the leading news website covering breakthrough innovation from Israel for a global audience. In ancient times the Judean date palm was a staple source of food, shelter, and shade. One was separated out as a control. What cured here, she thinks, were some traditional herbal remedies., The date palm has a historical distribution stretching from Mauritania in the west to the Indus Valley in the east. The experiment worked. 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. This seed, among others, was found during the excavations of Masada in the mid 1960s. 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. They called him Methuselah after the oldest person in the Bible. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.. They were widely used for different kinds of diseasescancers, TB [tuberculosis]all kinds of problems., Harvested dates grown on the ancient Judean date palm. The tree and its fruit are mentioned in the Song of Songs and Psalms and featured on coins throughout the region. BEST OF 2021: Forests of Judean date palm trees once covered ancient Israel, from Lake Galilee to the Dead Sea. Government Bouncers on Your Church's Front Door? 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. 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. After this process, one seed was found to be damaged and was subsequently discarded. Holy Land Uncovered on location special from Kibbutz Ketura, where 2 female scientists created a Miracle!! [17][20] By 2015 Methuselah had produced pollen that has been used successfully to pollinate female date palms. She was also interested in how plants can be used for medicine. 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. Thanks Jo. Its a childrens story about the science and what it represents., Viva Sarah Press is a journalist and speaker. Sallons near future plans include learning more about the new-old dates, how to reintroduce the Judean date to the market, and continue to research the medicinal properties of these dates. Sponsored by the Asper Foundation and Reichman University. Soak them in a bowl of cool water for 48 hours. According to the researchers, they look similar to the Medjool date, but have a sweeter, honey-like flavor. 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. The open hilltop, which is known as the Hill of Evil Counsel, is at the center of a battle that the neighborhood residents, including Sallon, are fighting against a construction project that they say will obliterate it. Most of the haul is being kept for science purposes. 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. 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. Some of the fruit were tasted, and some were sent for further research. Scientists determined that Methuselah was of the Hayany breed originally from Egypt. Because they were famous. Thank God for the faithfulness of his people though the ages - to leave these seeds, and to find and nurture one to grow. [13][15] Three of the seeds were subsequently planted at Ketura, Israel, in the Arabah in southern Israel. 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. 2023 The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc., A nonprofit 501 (c)(3) Charitable Organization. But now, after 2,000 years, the Judean date palm is back and the sweet ancient fruit has been harvested once again. All kinds of trees for food will grow up on both banks of the stream. sarahmariewells.com, Arava Institute for Environmental Studies. 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). Source: Haaretz, Holloway, A. 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. 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). 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. The first dates to ripen came from a palm tree named Hannah, which was grown from a seed about 10 years ago. Ancient Origins 2013 - 2023Disclaimer- Terms of Publication - Privacy Policy & Cookies - Advertising Policy -Submissions - We Give Back - Contact us. Its possible that they brought the seeds with them on their return to Zion, she said. The species is widely cultivated and is naturalized in . The Pindo Palm Tree is cold tolerant to USDA Zone 7. 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. In this age of global warming and species loss, I thought its important to try and bring back to life these ancient varieties. This opens the door to thousands of potential experiments. Sallon has a hypothesis regarding Hannahs ancestors. During Yigal Yadins excavations of Masada in the mid 1960s, ancient date seeds were discovered beneath rubble at the Northern Palace approach. Dates were famous in antiquity for medicinal value, said Solowey. By the age of 10, most children in the United States have been taught all 50 states that make up the country. As of February 2020, Adam was 1.5 meters high (1.6 yards). Home Judean Date Palm Grown From 2,000 Year Old Seed Bears Fruit. 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. 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. These semi-dry dates with a reddish blonde color were recently harvested.