Saturday, June 11, 2005
Ancient date palm of Judea germinated after 2000 years
The date palms of Judea are praised in the Bible and the Koran for
their beauty, shade, food and medicinal qualities. Now we may get a
chance to taste the famed fruit. A
date seed found during archeological excavations of Masada, where
Jewish Zealots killed themselves rather than fall to the Romans, has
germinated and appears likely to survive.
Radiocarbon dating confirms the archeological evidence: the seed is about 2,000 years old. This is the oldest seed ever germinated. Lotus seeds of about 1200 years' age have been germinated in China, but none as old as this.
The seed was obtained by Dr. Sarah Sallon, a physician and scholar of medicinal plants of the Middle East. It was germinated by Dr. Elaine Soloway of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies.
At the time of the fall of Masada, when Israel ceased to exist for 1900 years, vast plantations of date palms were found throughout the region. Dates were an important food and medicine. The biblical land of "milk and honey" refers to date honey. The Koran describes the date as a symbol of goodness, and the date palm is associated with heaven. By the time of the Crusades, all the date palms had been destroyed. Modern Israel, for which dates are important symbolically and economically, grows date trees imported from California and originating elsewhere in the Middle East. So, the growth of this seedling could potentially resurrect a highly important plant, both economically and culturally.
There is an important unknown, that will not be revealed for at least 20 years: is the tree a male or female? Dates are dioecious, bearing male flowers on one tree and female on another. If this tree is a male, it will only be a historical curiosity. If it is a female, there should be adequate pollen from males of other date palms to allow the tree to bear fruit.
If all goes well, we could once again taste the fruits of the land of milk and honey, thanks to the Zealots of Masada and the curiosity of a group of scientists.
- Posted by Tom Kimmerer - 11:19:44 PM -
Radiocarbon dating confirms the archeological evidence: the seed is about 2,000 years old. This is the oldest seed ever germinated. Lotus seeds of about 1200 years' age have been germinated in China, but none as old as this.
The seed was obtained by Dr. Sarah Sallon, a physician and scholar of medicinal plants of the Middle East. It was germinated by Dr. Elaine Soloway of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies.
At the time of the fall of Masada, when Israel ceased to exist for 1900 years, vast plantations of date palms were found throughout the region. Dates were an important food and medicine. The biblical land of "milk and honey" refers to date honey. The Koran describes the date as a symbol of goodness, and the date palm is associated with heaven. By the time of the Crusades, all the date palms had been destroyed. Modern Israel, for which dates are important symbolically and economically, grows date trees imported from California and originating elsewhere in the Middle East. So, the growth of this seedling could potentially resurrect a highly important plant, both economically and culturally.
There is an important unknown, that will not be revealed for at least 20 years: is the tree a male or female? Dates are dioecious, bearing male flowers on one tree and female on another. If this tree is a male, it will only be a historical curiosity. If it is a female, there should be adequate pollen from males of other date palms to allow the tree to bear fruit.
If all goes well, we could once again taste the fruits of the land of milk and honey, thanks to the Zealots of Masada and the curiosity of a group of scientists.
- Posted by Tom Kimmerer - 11:19:44 PM -
