Olive (Olea europaea) trees in the arid Negev Desert of southern Israel are important relicts on the ancient agricultural landscape. Among them are a cluster of several trees located in Wadi Zetan, at the heart of the Shivta horticulture terroir, with its abundant agricultural runoff remains. Two isolated olive bearing trees stand in a sheltered beneath cliff in the upper part of the wadi. Radiocarbon dating of an internal part of the trunk of one of these living trees estimates its minimum age as the mid-16th – early 17th century CE (∼500 years old). Archaeological excavations conducted beneath the trees and the adjacent dam revealed OSL samples of loess accumulation dated to the Early Islamic period (8th-9th centuries CE). The stratigraphy and chronology of this sediment deposition indicate its rapid and short accumulation. Palynological analysis of the same OSL dated samples indicates that grapevines and olive trees were cultivated in the immediate vicinity of the site during the Early Islamic period. The lack of pollen of cultivated taxa from the latter part of the sequence points to cessation of the agricultural activity, probably a few hundred years later. Leaf samples for DNA profiling of the trees in comparison to other local old olive trees around the country, indicate that the trees in Wadi Zetan are genetically close to a known cultivar common among ancient olive trees. The trees have survived for at least a few hundred years, in an arid area, due to the local conditions and enhanced drainage from the man-made upper runoff system. These old olive trees bear a powerful and symbolic significance, indicating the endurance and sustainability of ancient desert runoff agriculture. Moreover, the survival of their relicts in Wadi Zetan suggests their potential as cultivars greater resilience to the harsh growing conditions of arid environments.

橄榄（Olea europaea) 以色列南部干旱的内盖夫沙漠中的树木是古代农业景观的重要遗迹。其中包括位于 Shivta 园艺风土中心的 Wadi Zetan 的几棵树丛，拥有丰富的农业径流遗迹。两棵孤立的橄榄树矗立在河谷上部一处隐蔽的悬崖下。其中一棵活树树干内部的放射性碳测年估计其最小年龄为公元 16 世纪中叶至 17 世纪初（~500 岁）。在树下和邻近的大坝下进行的考古挖掘揭示了可追溯到伊斯兰早期（公元 8 至 9 世纪）的黄土堆积的 OSL 样本。这种沉积物沉积的地层和年代学表明其快速而短暂的堆积。对相同的 OSL 日期样本进行孢粉学分析表明，在早期伊斯兰时期，该遗址附近种植了葡萄藤和橄榄树。序列后半部分栽培类群花粉的缺乏表明农业活动可能在几百年后停止。与全国其他当地老橄榄树相比，用于树 DNA 分析的叶子样本表明，Wadi Zetan 的树木在遗传上与古橄榄树中常见的已知品种很接近。由于当地条件和人造上层径流系统的排水增强，这些树木在干旱地区至少存活了几百年。这些古老的橄榄树具有强大的象征意义，表明古代沙漠径流农业的持久性和可持续性。此外，他们在 Wadi Zetan 的遗物的生存表明，它们作为栽培品种的潜力更大，能够适应干旱环境的恶劣生长条件。