1400 Year Old Wine Press Discovered During Excavations Near Nahal Soreq in Israel
A rare 1,400-year-old wine press was discovered this month during excavations near Nahal Soreq between Beit Shemesh and Ashdod, Israel. The massive 21-by-54-foot octagonal wine press is one of the largest presses ever to be discovered in Israel, and is believed to be from the Byzantine period. The size of the wine press provides evidence that the quantity of wine produced in the press was exceptionally large and meant for export to Egypt or Europe.
“This is a complex wine press that reflects a very high level of technology for this period, which was acquired and improved on from generation to generation,” says Uzi Ad, Israel Antiquities Authority. “An identical wine press was previously exposed north of Ashkelon approximately nine feet from the one found in Nahal Soreq and we can assume that the two installations were built by the same craftsman.”
Rectangular mosaic surfaces were also discovered around the trading floor in which the wine press was uncovered.
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March 2, 2010
Posted in: Israel