The Historical Mystery of the Carob Tree

Many of us grew up on the myth that the Carob tree is a "newcomer" that arrived in the Land of Israel with the armies of Alexander the Great. However, the scientific truth is far more surprising and profound. Palynological findings (pollen analysis) from drill cores in the Hula Valley reveal that the carob was part of the landscape of Israel as early as 40,000 years ago, and charcoal remains of the tree have been found in Jericho dating back to the Neolithic period. The carob is a native wild tree that has survived dramatic climate changes here—a relic of ancient tropical flora. So, where does Alexander the Great fit into the picture? While the Greeks did not bring the tree, they brought the "high-tech" of the ancient world: grafting technology. Until the Hellenistic period, the carob was a wild tree producing dry fruit; the agricultural revolution transformed it into a sweet, yielding orchard crop, which is the source of the common historical confusion.

This botanical shift solves an ancient biblical riddle: Why is a tree so dominant in the landscape completely absent from the Bible, yet stars in the Mishnah and the Talmud? The answer lies in that same agricultural revolution. During the biblical period, the carob was a marginal tree, "poor man's bread," not considered worthy of mention alongside the Seven Species. Only after its domestication in the Hellenistic-Roman period did it become a central economic crop. It was then that it took center stage in Jewish culture: from Honi the Circle-Maker, who saw it as a symbol of intergenerational giving and patience ("Just as my ancestors planted for me"), to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, for whom the carob became a "tree of life" in the cave at Peki'in, enabling physical survival and spiritual transcendence.

However, while in Judaism the carob symbolizes frugality and miracles, Islamic and Arab folklore presents a dual and mysterious image. The name "Kharrub" (خروب) is phonetically linked to the root Kh-R-B (ח.ר.ב), implying destruction and ruin. Folktales warn against sleeping in the carob’s shade as it is the abode of the "Jinn" (spirits). A tradition attributed to King Solomon (Sulaiman) tells how it was specifically the carob tree that heralded his impending death and the destruction of the Temple. Conversely, and paradoxically, the carob fruit is a beloved delicacy: "Dibis" (carob molasses) and the cold carob drink are symbols of the month of Ramadan, providing energy to those fasting. This tension between the fear of the tree and the enjoyment of its fruit is a fascinating example of the complex relationship between humans and nature in Middle Eastern culture.

The carob’s influence extends far beyond the borders of the Middle East, reaching our pockets through the world of diamonds. The weight unit "Carat" is derived from the Greek name for the carob—"Keration." For centuries, merchants believed that carob seeds possessed a miraculous quality of uniform and constant weight (approximately 0.2 grams), using them as counterweights for weighing gold and precious stones. Modern studies have shattered this biological myth, proving that the seeds actually have a natural weight variance of about 23%. However, they discovered something amazing about the human eye: the uniformity was not in nature, but in the ancient merchants' ability to manually select seeds that looked exactly identical. The Carat, therefore, is a testament to a commercial standard born out of human interaction with nature.

The carob is much more than a shade-giving tree; it is a microcosm of the history and geopolitics of our region. It tells the story of the transition from foraging to sophisticated agriculture, reflects the encounter between different cultures and faiths in one land, and connects ancient mysticism with international trade. The next time you see a carob tree, don't just see a dry fruit; see a tree whose roots are planted in prehistory, whose branches feature in the legends of the Sages and Islamic folklore, and whose seeds determined the value of the most expensive diamonds in the world.

Image: Common Carob tree. Image Source: https://katzr.net/35d6d7