Post by UKarchaeology on Nov 24, 2015 1:10:36 GMT
This wine press was found at the site, near Netivot. Image credit: Assaf Peretz / Israel Antiquities Authority.
Excavations by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) at a site near the town of Netivot, southern Israel have revealed a Byzantine-era settlement dating back to the 6th and 7th centuries CE.
“One of the most impressive finds is a sophisticated wine press that was used to commercially produce wine,” said Dr Ilan Peretz of the IAA.
“First, the grapes were pressed,” he described the process. “Then the juice was funneled through canals to a pit where the sediment settled.”
“From there, the wine was piped into vats lined with stone and marble, where it would ferment until it was stored in clay bottles called Gaza jugs, hundreds of which have been found at the site.”
Full story (& more pics!): www.sci-news.com/archaeology/byzantine-era-settlement-netivot-southern-israel-03455.html