How could it be?" Genesis 5:25-27 says that Methuselah lived 969 years! Its a childrens story about the science and what it represents., Viva Sarah Press is a journalist and speaker. said Solowey. Sarah Sallon, director of the Louis L. Borick Natural Medicine Research Center in Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem, led a team that included Elaine Solowey, and Nathalie Chabrillange. Great piece I had no idea about such amazing botanical work going on. In February of this year, the latest scientific paper published about the germination of these seeds inScience Advances,revived new interest in these dates, says Sallon. 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. 1. 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. Not as sweet as the Medjooldate, 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. Palm trees in the ruins of Babylon. As of February 2020, Adam was 1.5 meters high (1.6 yards). ( Marcos Schonholz ). Ancient Origins 2013 - 2023Disclaimer- Terms of Publication - Privacy Policy & Cookies - Advertising Policy -Submissions - We Give Back - Contact us. 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). Now I need to buy some and try them! 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. Why does Judaism matter and how is it connected to Christianity? 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. Methusaleh and all the ancient date trees can be visited by contacting Keren Kolot. 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. Need prayer? 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. 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. Remove the seeds from the fruit, and wash them to remove any excess fruit particles. 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. So, in 2005, Sallon turned to Solowey, an expert on arid agriculture, for help. 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 these werent ordinary dates. [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. 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. The same is true for date palms. But I will secretly plant one of the seeds from Hannah here and hope that in another 20 years, it will produce fruit.. Judean date palm in 2012. [6] Andrea Moresino-Zipper contests that in the former case, it is the woman who symbolises the defeated Judaea and the towering, dominating palm stands for victorious Rome, while in the latter case the palm tree does represent Judaea.[6]. 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? ***Please sign up forCBN Newslettersand download theCBN News appto ensure you keep receiving the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***. Make sure to buy dates that haven't been pitted. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.. This is the second year of harvesting fruit from this previously extinct tree, brought back to life by Dr. Elaine Solowey. Two of . The species of palm was thought to be extinct for 800 years but hundreds of seeds of Phoenix dactylifera were collected from Judean desert archaeological sites such as an ancient palace-fortress built by King Herod and caves located in southern Israel at Masada, Qumran, Wadi Makukh, and Wadi Kelt, located in the Judean desert between the Judean Hills and the Dead Sea. These plants are called Adam, Jonah, Uriel, Boaz, Judith, and Hannah. [26] They may have shared the same wild ancestor. Date palm cultivation is thought to be up to . 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. 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. Date Palm Sprouted from Ancient Seed Gives Fruit Like That of Bible Times In the middle of Israel's Arava Desert, a farming community is bringing trees back to life that's bearing fruit from the time of the Bible. Fancy Sipping a Pint in a 1700-Year-Old Tree? [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. 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 . [20] The genomes of these Judean date palms germinated from ancient seeds were sequenced and analyzed. Radiocarbon dating of the fragments of the seed shells still clinging to the roots of the plants confirmed the seeds date back to between 1,800 and 2,400 years ago. A previous experiment with the seeds produced a single male plant that sprouted in 2005 which the researchers named Methuselah. The first tree, Methuselah, was discovered to be male. 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. Judean date palms are praised in the Bible. CBN News got its first look ten years ago when Methuselah was still in the lab. Its fruit was a staple of the Judean Desert and grew in thick forests along the Dead Sea and Jordan River valley. It would be interesting if they were used back then for the same reasons, she tells NoCamels during a phone call from her Jerusalem home. 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. [9] A 1974 study blames the 15th-century disappearance of date palms from the Jericho-Ein Gedi region on human activity, but Goor raises the possibility that the climate change led to the springs in the area delivering less water, which harmed the water-intensive cultivation of date palms.[9]. The tree and its fruit are mentioned in the Song of Songs and Psalms and featured on coins throughout the region. Photo: CBN News, Error: There was an internal error submitting your form. Following this success, six further preserved seeds were sprouted.[2]. 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. Some of the fruit were tasted, and some were sent for further research. Younger Methuselah. The experiment worked. It takes time for seedlings to become seed-bearing trees, but eventually, that time came. Source: Haaretz, Holloway, A. She was also interested in how plants can be used for medicine. Also available on most smart TVs and streaming services. I too wonder if this is a specific species as date palms have been cultivated forever. Pollinated by Methuselah, Hannah had around 100 dates last year and this year she had more than 600 dates. If you dont look back to the history you will not see the future. And Solowey and Salone are hoping eventually to add the revived Judean dates to the harvest. Credit: Sarah Sallon Ruth Schuster May 6, 2021 But the plant went extinct due to waves of conquest and intentional destruction. During Yigal Yadins excavations of Masada in the mid 1960s, ancient date seeds were discovered beneath rubble at the Northern Palace approach. Those date palms of modern day Israel are modern and they were imported after the founding of the State in the 1950s. The other date palms to have sprouted from these ancient seeds are known as Adam, Hannah, Judith, Jonah, Boaz and Uriel. [3] Modern studies have been done in an attempt to confirm their medicinal value. She writes and talks about the creativity and innovation taking place in Israel and beyond. A Blazing Weapon: Unraveling the Mystery of Greek Fire. Thats why we view every news story through the lens of faith. The tree so defined the local economy that it became a prime resource for the invading Roman army to destroy. We are committed to delivering quality independent Christian journalism you can trust. 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. 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. 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. Judean Date Palm Grown From 2,000 Year Old Seed Bears Fruit. 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. Thanks Jo. Methuselah the Judean Date Palm is still going strong even after sprouting from a 2,000-year-old seed. They were very dry. 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 tree and its fruit are mentioned in the Song of Songs and Psalms and featured on coins throughout the region. A team led by Sarah Sallon, which planted these six trees, first tried in 2005 to germinate a 2,000-year-old seed from the . 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. The first complete mapping of a Neanderthal genome took place about five years ago - supporting the human-Neanderthal hook-up and also showing that Neanderthal DNA in humans is a thing. 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. ', 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. CBN Partners provide hope to those who are suffering! On Friday, an unusual ceremony was held on a hilltop overlooking the Old City in Jerusalems Abu Tor neighborhood. But then, in 2005, botanical researcher Elaine Solowey decided to plant one and see what, if anything, would sprout. The species is widely cultivated and is naturalized in . Methuselah, Adam, and Hannah date back to the first to fourth centuries BCE. her team just so happens to have one other Judean date palm on hand in . 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 Bible is our guidebook of ancient species, Sallon told CBN News. 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. 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. Collect date seeds. [21], As of 2019, altogether thirty-two Judean date palm seeds have been grown from locations in the Dead Sea area, and six saplings (Adam, Jonah, Uriel, Boaz, Judith, and Hannah) have survived. Methuselah was chosen to father the fruit and pollen from his plant was placed onto Hannah's flowers. In biblical times, the Judean date palm was revered throughout the region for its medicinal qualities. By the age of 10, most children in the United States have been taught all 50 states that make up the country. Phoenix dactylifera date or date palm is a flowering plant species in the palm family Arecaceae, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit. ( The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies ) So valued was the tree that it became recognized as a symbol of good fortune in Judea. Were theonlyPop Archaeology site combining scientific research with out-of-the-box perspectives. Get email notification for articles from Nir Hasson. The plant was nicknamed "Methuselah," after the longest-lived person 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. An ancient coin design depicting a date palm and two baskets full of dates has been reused for the front side of the modern Israeli ten-shekel coin. 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!) 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. YWAM Founder Loren Cunningham Diagnosed with Stage 4 Cancer. 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. Hannah wassprouted from a 2,000 year-old seed, and pollinated by another Ancient Judean date tree. They dont read science journals, she tells NoCamels, noting that her friend, Jane Goodall, wrote the introduction to her unpublished childrens book. Its mentioned in the Bible as one of the seven species found in the ancient Land of Israel. Between 2011 and 2014 Ms. Solowey planted the seeds and six more have sprouted over the years. And though Sallon compares the taste of these ancient Judean dates to the Medjool, she reiterates that she is not a food expert and simply happens to eat the Medjool variety. They had experienced a very dry and sheltered environment for millennia. (Guy Eisner) Scientists have cultivated plants from date palm seeds that languished in ancient ruins and caves for 2,000 years. Elaine Solowey, Desert Plant Pioneer, successfully grew an extinct Judean Date Palm tree from a 2000 year old seed. There are two groups of date species eastern and western. 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. Fifteen years ago, the first tree Solowey sprouted was a male. Dates tree grown by a 2,000-year-old seed retrieved from archaeological sites in the Judean Desert, in Ketura, Israel, September 2, 2020. As a result, the tithing ceremony was held on Friday. A handful of date seeds from fruit that ripened around the time of Jesus have been successfully planted and grown in southernIsrael, researchers have revealed., The worlds most remarkable date palm trees might not exist if Sarah Sallon hadnt gotten sick while working as a doctor in India in 1986. The Judean Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is known from historical accounts for its sweet, large fruit, which even had medicinal properties. 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. 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. In ancient times the Judean date palm was a staple source of food, shelter, and shade. Sallon obtained five of those original seeds and gave them to Solowey. 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 . 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.. She has a rich and varied career, ranging from teaching Read More. In the Kingdom of Judea it was a source of food, shelter, medicine, and shade. They were big; they were sweet. In the Kingdom of Judea it was a source of food, shelter, medicine, and shade. Exodus 15:27. At the heart of the ceremony was a small package of dates. [17][20] By 2015 Methuselah had produced pollen that has been used successfully to pollinate female date palms. For the next four decades, the ancient seeds were kept in a drawer at Tel Aviv's Bar-Ilan University. were collected from Judean desert archaeological sites such as an ancient palace-fortress built by King Herod and caves located in southern Israel at Masada, Qumran, Wadi Makukh, and Wadi Kelt, located in the Judean desert between the Judean Hills and the Dead Sea. [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. They called him Methuselah after the oldest person in the Bible. Home Judean Date Palm Grown From 2,000 Year Old Seed Bears Fruit. 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This has been reissued in recently years as a 10 shekel coin. According to Jewish tradition, the Children of Israel came out of Egypt with date palm saplings that were eventually planted in the land of Israel. Ancient sources have suggested that the Judean date palm tree had many unique medicinal properties no longer found in todays palm varieties. Date Palm Sprouted from Ancient Seed Gives Fruit Like That of Bible Times, Jerusalem Dateline: 8/4/17 How the Dead Sea Is Giving Life, Revival Goes Nationwide, Hits Theaters After 'Jesus Revolution' Film as Well as ORU, Portland, Ohio State, Teen Witch Collapses on Church Doorstep, Finds Freedom from 'Torment' After Deal with the Devil, 'Great Peace in Jesus': Kelsey Grammer Gets Real About His Faith Journey with Jesus. But they're not the original date tree that grew here, Sallon said. 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. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing. Ezekiel 47:12. About 100 ripe, tasty dates were cut from Hannah. 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. Prophecy from the Bible is revealing itself as we speak. (DtoF) Boaz (54 months), Judith (47 months), and Hannah (88 months). 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. Scientists determined that Methuselah was of the Hayany breed originally from Egypt. Germinated ancient Judean date seedlings. The species has earned the new name Judean date palm, along with the scientific name Phoenix dactylifera. We are planting our second, female date tree, who was sprouted from an ancient seed. They all sat in storage for over 40 years. You can view our live recording of the harvesthere. Available at: https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/palm-tree-0013259. Now you say well, but we see dates all the way along here, palm trees and all the kibbutzim are growing plants. 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. In experiments praised by the Dalai Lama, for example, Dr. Sarah Sallon has shown that ancient Tibetan cures for cardiovascular disease really do work. The date palms are named for Biblical figures. Available at: https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/6/eaax0384, Whelan, E. (2020) Fabled Palm Trees Reborn From Ancient Seeds In Israel. Ancient Origins. On August 23rd, 2021, Arava Institute staff harvested three bunches of dates from our world-famous ancient date palms. [17] By November 2011 it was 2.5 metres (8ft 2in) high, having been transplanted from pot to earth. If this is indeed a specific species, the author should make that clear and name the species. Methusaleh was even given the Guinness WorldRecords designation as the oldest seed cultivated. 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. Who would have thought seeds thousands of years old would germinate?!? 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. Five years ago. 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. ( Arava Institute for Environmental Studies ). Uriel and Jonah date back to the first to second centuries CE. How Credible Are the Superstitions Surrounding the Mystical Irish Fairy Trees? Throughout the history of civilization, the concept of the apocalypse has been ever present, in one way or another. It played a significant role in the Judean economy for about two millenniaat the least from the fifth century B.C.E. (Guy Eisner / Sciencemag). 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. The Pindo Palm Tree is cold tolerant to USDA Zone 7. But the plant went extinct due to waves of conquest and intentional destruction. Dr. Tareq Abu Hamed, Director of the Arava Institute at Kibbutz Ketura, sees this as. This years harvest from Hannahproduced almost 700 dates (after 111 during last years first harvest), which were pollinated by Methuselah and two other ancient date palms named Adam and Jonah. 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. One that disappeared centuries ago was the Judean date. They became symbols of "beauty, precious shade and succulent plenty," Kershner wrote. Dubbed Methuselah it was the oldest seed ever grown attracting wide international attention. 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. 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. But now, after 2,000 years, the Judean date palm is back and the sweet ancient fruit has been harvested once again. The site of the ceremony was not happenstance.