Post by UKarchaeology on Jan 29, 2016 21:19:31 GMT
In Rosh Ha-Ayin, a city in the Center District of Israel, archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) have unearthed the remains of a 2,700-year-old farmhouse and a 1,500-year-old monastery.
“The large farmhouse (98 x 164 feet, or 30 x 50 m) was preserved to a height of more than 6 feet (2 m),” said IAA archaeologist Dr. Amit Shadman.
“The building is 2,700 years old and included 24 rooms constructed around a central courtyard.”
“A large storage compartment meant to protect the grain was exposed in the courtyard. It seems that carbohydrates were as popular then as now, and the growing and processing of grain were fairly widespread in the rural-agricultural region. This was corroborated by other discoveries in the field that included numerous millstones which were used to grind the grain into flour.”
“In addition, we found simple rock-hewn oil presses used in the production of olive oil”.
“This farmstead and other similar ones operated for centuries until the region was abandoned in Hellenistic period.”
Dr. Shadman and his colleagues also found two silver coins from the 4 century BC that “bear the likenesses of the goddess Athena and the Athenian owl.”
Full story: www.sci-news.com/archaeology/farmstead-byzantine-period-monastery-israel-03568.html