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SALT LAKE CITY — Scientists have reconstructed what the biblical Kingdom of Judah would have looked like 2,500 years ago.
The reconstruction shows a royal garden in Judah to have been an exotic paradise and is based on analyses of pollen grains found preserved at the gardens at Ramat Rahel, an ancient archaeological site located high above Israel, overlooking the modern cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
Researchers from Israel's Tel Aviv University and Germany's Heidelberg University had previously uncovered the gardens at Ramat Rahel during an archaeological dig, but could only imagine what must have been supported by the the advanced irrigation system, which distributed collected rainwater via intricately designed pools, tunnels and channels.
It was within the plaster of these pools that the researchers found grains of pollen that had been preserved for the centuries since the site was last inhabited, during the early Muslim reign in Palestine around the 10th century.
Researchers found grains from a variety of native trees, including grape vine and fig and olive trees. There were also grains from plants not native to the area, including Persian walnut and birch trees. The samples date back to Persian period — between 600 and 700 B.C.
Oded Lipschits of Tel Aviv University said in a statement that Persian authorities of the time probably imported the plants from remote areas to show off the authorities' prestige.
The imported plants may have had a lasting impact on the region, as in the case of the citron plant, which first appeared in the Ramat Rahel garden and has now become commonplace in Jewish tradition.
The citron, or etrog, is traditionally used in the festival of Sukkot to represent both the heart and the ideal type of Jew, who would have both knowledge of the Torah and good deeds.
The discovery is the product of the first full-scale excavation in Israel of this type of site. The garden would have been the most prominent feature of Ramat Rahel and the luxury therein would have been the ultimate symbol of power in ancient Judah.
