After a 2,000-Year Rest, a Seed Sprouts in Jerusalem

NY TIMES ^ | JERUSALEM, June 11

[TheOtherOne]

JERUSALEM, June 11 - Israeli doctors and scientists have succeeded in germinating a date seed nearly 2,000 years old.

The seed, nicknamed Methuselah, was taken from an excavation at Masada, the cliff fortress where, in A.D. 73, 960 Jewish zealots died by their own hand, rather than surrender to a Roman assault. The point is to find out what was so exceptional about the original date palm of Judea, much praised in the Bible and the Koran for its shade, food, beauty and medicinal qualities, but long ago destroyed by the crusaders.

[TheOtherOne]

The plant is now 11.8 inches tall and has produced seven leaves, one of which was removed for DNA testing. Radiocarbon dating in Switzerland on a snip of the seed showed it to be 1,990 years old, plus or minus 50 years. So the date seed dates from 35 B.C. to A.D. 65, just before the famed Roman siege.

Three date seeds were taken from Level 34 of the Masada dig. They were found in a storeroom, and are presumably from dates eaten by the defenders, Dr. Sallon says.

[Born Conservative]

If they look hard enough, they may be able to find a Methuselah plant growing at a construction site in California...

[RightWhale]

This is amazing. Seed packets often say something like guaranteed to sprout but you might assume they would not guarantee seeds more than a year old.

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on or off this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

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My kind of gardener!

I had no idea if the food in the seed was still good, but I put them in new pots in new potting soil and plugged them into drip irrigation and kind of forgot about them

[SJackson]

If they look hard enough, they may be able to find a Methuselah plant growing at a construction site in California...

In which case construction will be halted. Not permanently, but for the next 2,000 years.

[texas_mrs]

I have always been fascinated by the story of the Masada.

[Born Conservative]

In which case construction will be halted. Not permanently, but for the next 2,000 years.

Which would certainly please the environMENTAL-whackos.

[TheOtherOne]

"Lotus seeds of about 1,200 years of age have been sprouted in China, and after the Nazis bombed London's Natural History Museum in World War II and a lot of water was used to put out the fire, seeds of 500 years of age also germinated."

I find it facinating that this type of fact never appears until this type of story. I never heard about any of this.

[vetvetdoug]

Anthrax can germinate from samples taken from a mummy then it can be possible for a plant to germinate after a very long hibernation.

[RightWhale]

There was a movie. Fascinating, the Roman engineering and the mindset of the defenders.

[TheOtherOne]

The Romans surely did an Environmental Impact report...I wonder what it said about the Date trees? Or the Jews for that matter?

[mmercier]

Interesting to say the least.

I seem to remember 2,000 year old wheat or barley found in Egypt being successfully germinated in the 80's.

Who is to say, people still eat 8.000 year old mammoth flesh.. But only when they can.

[RightWhale]

It's not a surprise, really, when seeds have to be kept bone dry or they will sprout. Once they are dry, what would change internally?

[TheOtherOne]

I know. Seeds survive fire, dormancy, etc. I just find it facinating that I had never heard about the London Museum seeds.

I posted a thread earlier this year about the incredible blooms going in in Death Vally this year due to the high rain levels. Nature will not be stopped.

[Hilltop]

Ahhh yes, I'll have the mammoth steak, twiced baked potato and the vegetable medley. Dry aged mammoth steak is certainly "to die for."

Oh, I would ask the wine stewards on FR, what would you recommend for the mammoth steak?

[b4its2late]

They could probably get Helen Thomas to identify it.

[Red Sea Swimmer]

Great story.

Where there is life there is hope.

[LiveBait]

"It's not a surprise, really, when seeds have to be kept bone dry or they will sprout. Once they are dry, what would change internally?"


It's still amazing to me. The idea that the seed has been alive for 2000 years just bowls me over.

[RightWhale]

the incredible blooms going in in Death Vally

Don't know if you ever listen to Art Bell. He lives about ten miles from Death Valley and remarked recently on the vegeation this year. My memory of Death Valley is nothing but dust and rocks.