I read this today I think it's true.
In the 1960s, archaeologists excavating the ancient fortress of Masada discovered a jar containing well-preserved date palm seeds dating to around the 1st century CE.
For decades, the seeds remained in storage. Then in 2005, researchers planted several of them. Against expectations, one germinated.
The tree that grew from that seed was named “Methuselah.” Genetic and radiocarbon testing confirmed the seed’s age at nearly 2,000 years old — making it the oldest known seed ever successfully germinated.
The Judean date palm was once famous in antiquity for its sweetness and medicinal properties. Historical sources describe it as a prized export of the region. By around the 5th century CE, the variety had disappeared, likely due to conflict, climate shifts, and agricultural decline.
The revival of Methuselah provided researchers with rare biological access to an ancient plant lineage long thought lost. Further planting of additional seeds has since produced both male and female trees, opening the possibility of restoring aspects of this historic cultivar.
From a sealed jar in a desert fortress to living leaves in the modern world, the seed carried history in dormant form for two millennia — and then quietly began again.
Source: Arava Institute for Environmental Studies; radiocarbon analysis published in Science Advances (2012).
In the 1960s, archaeologists excavating the ancient fortress of Masada discovered a jar containing well-preserved date palm seeds dating to around the 1st century CE.
For decades, the seeds remained in storage. Then in 2005, researchers planted several of them. Against expectations, one germinated.
The tree that grew from that seed was named “Methuselah.” Genetic and radiocarbon testing confirmed the seed’s age at nearly 2,000 years old — making it the oldest known seed ever successfully germinated.
The Judean date palm was once famous in antiquity for its sweetness and medicinal properties. Historical sources describe it as a prized export of the region. By around the 5th century CE, the variety had disappeared, likely due to conflict, climate shifts, and agricultural decline.
The revival of Methuselah provided researchers with rare biological access to an ancient plant lineage long thought lost. Further planting of additional seeds has since produced both male and female trees, opening the possibility of restoring aspects of this historic cultivar.
From a sealed jar in a desert fortress to living leaves in the modern world, the seed carried history in dormant form for two millennia — and then quietly began again.
Source: Arava Institute for Environmental Studies; radiocarbon analysis published in Science Advances (2012).
