1,400-year-old wine press found in Israel
February 16th, 2010 - 10:47 am ICT by IANSJerusalem, Feb 16 (IANS) Archaeologists in Israel claimed to have found an antique device which was used to prepare wine during sixth and seventh century.
The 1,400-year-old machine, which was found near Kibbutz Hafetz-Haim, south of Tel-Aviv, is believed to be one of the largest wine presses ever discovered in the country, said Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) Monday.
“The size of the wine press attests to the fact that the quantity of wine that was produced in it was exceptionally large, and was not meant for local consumption,” said excavation director Uzi Ad.
“Instead, the wine was intended for export to Egypt, a major export market at the time, or to Europe,” added Uzi.
Experts said that the wine press, which measures 6.5 by 16.5 metres, originally measured 15.0 by 16.5 metres, but was partly damaged during some construction work in the area, Xinhua reported.
Archaeologists observed that the collecting vats of the wine press were octagonal, instead of the usual circular or square shape of the device.
“It seems that they were built in this manner for primarily aesthetic reasons,” said Uzi, adding “this is a complex wine press that reflects a very high level of technology for this period”.
- Ancient Hebrew seal found in Jerusalem - May 02, 2012
- Rare Hercules statue found - Aug 16, 2011
- Corey Haim's last movie gets a wide release - Mar 09, 2011
- 2,000-year-old gold coin found in Israel - Aug 12, 2010
- 2,000-yr-old intact carving of Cupid discovered in Jerusalem - Aug 31, 2010
- 3,500-year-old bracelet found in Israel - Aug 03, 2010
- Israeli archaeologists find ancient bread stamp - Jan 11, 2012
- Israeli archaeologists discover 1,700-year-old footprints - Oct 15, 2009
- Israel, Google to bring Dead Sea Scrolls online - Oct 20, 2010
- Ancient water bridge found in Jerusalem - May 12, 2010
- Please save Greece's monuments, say archaeologists - Mar 15, 2012
- China sees imported wine market boom - Mar 28, 2012
- 2,600-year-old helmet found in Israel - Mar 01, 2012
- Reduce VAT on cell phones: Lobby asks Bengal - Mar 26, 2010
- 2,000 yr old papyrus document found in Israel - May 07, 2009
Tags: aesthetic reasons, archaeologists, construction work, consumption, egypt, europe, excavation director, export market, hafetz haim, iaa, israel, israel antiquities authority, israel jerusalem, square shape, tel aviv, vats, wine press, xinhua