Prof. Guy Bar-Oz of the School of Archaeology and Maritime Cultures was awarded his third prestigious ERC grant for his research which aims to regrow ancient varieties of fruit trees that once flourished in the Israeli desert. Ancient fruit trees are a living archaeological relic and store within them important information about traditional and sustainable horticulture that may be relevant to today’s climate challenges. The project, “Bio-Archaeology of Heritage Trees and Traditional Dryland Farming Horticulture in the Desert Fringes,” will combine several fields of research, including DNA testing, to better understand the ecology and evolution of the ancient orchard, as well as the main fruit trees cultivated in antiquity (olive, date and fig).