Israeli Archaeologists Unearth Ancient Industrial Installation

Ecerpts of article from sci-news.com

Under the asphalt streets of Jaffa, excavators have uncovered industrial liquid extraction installations amid a series of digs to prepare the area for infrastructure modernization – the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality announced on Wednesday.

Prior to performing infrastructural upgrades in Jaffa, under the Mashlama Le-Yafo program and part of the Magen Avraham Compound Project, workers were able to find “impressive remains” from the Byzantine era, according to the Antiquities Authority. Beneath today’s Hai Gaon Street are industrial liquid extraction mechanisms capable of providing a glimpse of hundreds of years of history, the authority stressed.

While the installations uncovered were likely used in ancient times as wine presses, for producing wine from grapes, they also may have been employed to generate various other alcoholic beverages from the variety of fruits that grew in the region, joint information from the Antiquities Authority and the municipality explained.

“This is the first important building from the Byzantine period to be uncovered in this part of the city,” said Dr. Yoav Arbel, director of the Jaffa excavations for the authority.

This find is yet another archeological remnant of the widespread agricultural traditions enjoyed by Jaffa residents for thousands of years, with evidence beginning in ancient Egyptian documents and leading up to orchards of the Ottoman period, the authority noted.

However, this particular find demonstrates a wider agricultural distribution in the region than was previously identified, due to its relatively remote location from Tel Yafo, Arbel said.

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