Balsam Oil

Balsam oil, also called oil of Peru or Balsam Peru oil, is an essential oil of Myroxylon pereirae. Balsam oil was used in ancient Egypt to mummify the dead.

According to the biblical book of Esther, balsam oil was used to help prepare the harem's virgins to meet the king (Est 2:12). Another biblical mention was when the queen of Sheba went to confirm King Solomon's wisdom, her amazement caused her to give the king 'a great deal of balsam oil' for which 'there never came anymore the like of that balsam oil for the quantity such' given (1 Kings 10:10)

Israeli archeologists, searching caves near the Dead Sea, have discovered what they believe is a 2,000-year-old jug of once-fragrant oil of the kind used to anoint the ancient Israelite kings.

Even though the oil is thought to have been placed in its earthen container at the time of Jesus, it was still fluid and had maintained its original chemical composition, though it had lost its fragrance.

Several months of exhaustive chemical analysis have found that the oil was extracted from a plant that no longer exists. That finding, along with corollary evidence, led scientists to conclude that it was an extract from the ancient persimmon plant, now extinct, that was the source many centuries ago of a highly valued natural perfume used in religious rites and medical preparations.

The find has excited scientists and archeologists here ''because of the fact that it is a living oil that is so ancient and has survived in a very good state of preservation,'' said Joseph Patrich, of Hebrew and Haifa universities. He headed the archeological team that made the finding.

Though there are no clear records from the period, Mr. Patrich said, rabbis later recounted that persimmon oil - known as balsam oil to the Greeks of the time - had been poured over the heads of the ancient kings of Judah as part of the ceremony surrounding their ascension to the throne. The kingdom of Judah, comprising the southern tribes of the biblical Hebrews, lasted from 935 B.C. to 586 B.C.

The five-inch-diameter jug containing about three cubic inches of oil was found in a cave at Qumran last summer, but Hebrew University made the finding public only today because it had taken that long to analyze the oil and demonstrate that it was in fact from the time of Jesus. Jug Is Buried 3 Feet Deep

The jug, of a kind commonly used in the Herodian period for storing household oils, was wrapped in palm leaves and buried in a pit three feet deep inside the cave, suggesting that the owner or owners had wanted it well hidden, probably because of its value.

The spherical jug had a spout at the top and a tiny hole in its side, apparently so small quantities of the oil could be poured more easily. The mouth of the jug was sealed with a stone, and the small hole was closed too, caked with oil that had dried centuries ago.

Once the jug was carried into the sunlight, the heavy oil inside thinned out and began spilling out of the hole until archeologists quickly turned the jug on its side.

Mr. Patrich said he and his team, including volunteers from the Institute of Judaic-Christian Research in Arlington, Tex., were searching the caves for any objects of antiquity, without any specific expectations about what they might find. The discovery of the jug was not at first viewed as extraordinary; only after it was unearthed and found to be full of oil did the team grow excited. 'It Was a Mystery'

''The jug was a slow realization at first,'' said Vendyl Jones, a Texan and head of the research institute. ''It was a mystery, but when we did the tests I was really excited. Religious Jews will be really excited by this.''

Samples of the oil were sent to China, where researchers have sophisticated methods of dating oil samples, Mr. Jones added.

Although the exact age of the jug has not been determined, an ancient scroll discovered in the same caves 36 years ago listed the location of 60 cherished items taken from the second Jewish Temple between A.D. 66 and 68 and hidden as the Roman army approached Jerusalem. Among the items were 23 talents of this oil. A talent was a biblical measure, and Mr. Jones said no one has determined its modern equivalent.

Though the jug was discovered last summer, no announcements were made until now, Mr. Patrich said, because the team first wanted to verify that the oil truly was ancient.

Initial tests, suggested by ancient writings, included dropping a bit of the oil into water, Dr. Patrich said. After a period in the water, the oil is supposed to turn white if it is of the ancient variety, ''and our oil turns white,'' he added.

Then, after more sophisticated chemical analysis, ''we found that it was a plant extract, and was not from any plant that exists today,'' Mr. Patrich said. Valuable in Ancient Times

The oil, manufactured from the sap of the persimmon plant, was especially valuable in ancient times because it held a sweet fragrance at a time when the ability to manufacture perfume was limited.

''This oil had quite a lot of economic value to Judea,'' Mr. Patrich said. And in fact Roman historians recounted that when Titus's army marched toward Jericho and Ein Gedi, sites of the persimmon orchards, in A.D. 70 on its way to destroy Jerusalem and the second Jewish Temple, Jews tried to destroy the orchards to keep them out of Roman hands.

But they failed, and Titus's army was said to have waved persimmon plants in its triumphal march on its return to Rome.

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