Treasure Trove: David Matlow explores the miracle of ancient date trees brought back to life

The date palm is one of the seven species that the Land of Israel is blessed with, according to the Bible, along with wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates and olives. 

The date palm of ancient Judaea disappeared centuries ago. In the 1960s and 1970s, ancient date seeds which were radiocarbon dated to the 4th to 1st centuries BCE were found during archaeological excavations of Masada and in caves in the Judean desert.

The seeds sat in storage for over forty years until Dr. Sarah Sallon of Hadassah Hospital and Dr. Elaine Solowey of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies in Kibbutz Ketura began to germinate the ancient seeds to bring the tree and its fruit back from extinction. 

They worked on this project for 15 years and in 2020 their efforts were successful.  A male tree they named Methuselah grown from a seed found on Masada was used to pollinate the flowers of a female tree they named Hanna discovered in Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. These dates from 2,000-year-old seeds were the result.

Israel is truly a land of miracles.  

Author

Support Our Mission: Make a Difference!

The Canadian Jewish News is now a Registered Journalism Organization (RJO) as defined by the Canada Revenue Agency. To help support the valuable work we’re doing, we’re asking for individual monthly donations of at least $10. In exchange, you’ll receive tax receipts, a thank-you gift of our quarterly magazine delivered to your door, and our gratitude for helping continue our mission. If you have any questions about the donating process, please write to [email protected].

Support the Media that Speaks to You

Jewish Canadians deserve more than social media rumours, adversarial action alerts, and reporting with biases that are often undisclosed. The Canadian Jewish News proudly offers independent national coverage on issues that impact our audience each day, as a conduit for conversations that bridge generations. 

It’s an outlet you can count on—but we’re also counting on you.

Please support Jewish journalism that’s creative, innovative, and dedicated to breaking new ground to serve your community, while building on media traditions of the past 65 years. As a Registered Journalism Organization, contributions of any size are eligible for a charitable tax receipt.