seed---biblical-flora

Ancient seed sprouts

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:01:04 +0100

Posted December 22, 2009 (as first read in Biblical Archaeology Review

An ancient lentil seed dating back 4,000 years that was discovered during an archaeological excavation has successfully germinated. The Middle Bronze Age site in the western Turkish province of Kütahya provided researchers with a number of seeds from the excavation—several of which were still viable. Scientists are hoping the plant that grows from the ancient seed will produce its own seeds, which would then allow researchers to compare the ancient organic lentil seeds with their modern, genetically modified counterparts.

The seeds were discovered within a structure that archaeologists believe was an ancient silo constructed for grain storage. The discovery of such an ancient live seed is extraordinary and seems to be a result of fire damage to the container the seeds were stored in, which created an environment capable of preserving the seeds for millennia.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=ancient-seed-came-into-leaf-2009-12-16

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/health/scientists-successfully-germinate-4000-year-old-lentil-seed_100292005.html

Photos

http://www.fotoglif.com/f/t4egvuws1sox

The First Pruner

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 17:34:30 +0100

As recorded in The Compleat Gardener (1693), the story goes that a wild ass got into the vineyard somewhere in ancient Greece and gnawed a few grapevines back to their main stems.

The gardener’s rage turned into delight when he found that the gnawed vine regenerated quickly and produced far more fruit than the untouched (nibbled) vines.

He began intentionally to cut the vines, an experiment attended with so much success that “to express their acknowledgment of so fine an Invention, they erected in one of the finest places of that province, a marble statue to that animal as the author of pruning vines, that is, to the author of the abundance of wine.

Resources:
Smith & Hawken The Tool Box: for the well-tended garden. William Bryant Logan. Workman Publishing, New York, 1997. 139.

Flora and Fauna of the Lands of the Bible

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 22:49:34 +0100

This section of my blog will highlight everything from flowers to foxes, from olive trees to ostriches, and the geo-physical elements ofthe Lands of the Bible. This section will help provide important context or background to the stories in the Bible.