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- Dig in Israel unearths world’s largest Byzantine-era winery
Dig in Israel unearths world’s largest Byzantine-era winery
Experts explain that the wine produced was revered in the region
An excavation by Israel's archaeologists uncovered a historic find in Yavne -- the world’s largest Byzantine-era winemaking facilities.
Specialists at the site found five winepresses, along with several additional vats, warehouses, and production devices dating back to the 4th-5th century CE.
The discovery was unearthed by experts from the Israel Antiquities Authority after a proposal to launch construction on a residential and commercial project.
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In Israel, all construction initiatives must also allow specialists to orchestrate an archaeological dig, in the event that ancient artifacts may be found, according to The Jerusalem Post.
“A calculation of the production capacity of these winepresses shows that approximately two million liters of wine were marketed every year, while we should remember that the whole process was conducted manually,” Dr. Elie Haddad, Liat Nadav-Ziv and Dr. Jon Seligman explained, quoted in The Times of Israel.
“We found remains of other industries, for example producing glass and metal,” Seligman detailed to The Post.
“We also found remains from other periods, such as a house from the 9th century and some other buildings from the interim period between the Byzantine and Islamic periods.”
Experts note that the variety of alcohol produced by the facilities, known as “Gaza and Ashkelon wine,” was revered in the region.
In August, archaeologists also uncovered a Byzantine-era wine press near Tel Aviv.