Archaeologists Uncover The Largest 1,500-Year-Old Byzantine Winery In Israel

Aerial photo of an ancient winery area from Byzantine times. (Source: IAA/Asaf Peretz via Arkeonews net)

JAKARTA - A large winery dating back about 1,500 years to the early Byzantine, or Byzantine Empire, has been discovered in Israel, making it the largest Byzantine winery ever discovered.

According to the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), the complex facility found in Yavne, central Israel, can produce about two million liters of wine annually.

By comparison, the British newspaper Daily Mail notes that currently the Land of the Three Lions produces just under eight million liters of alcoholic beverage per year.

The 6th century winery is thought to have produced one of the finest white wines in the Mediterranean at the time. Known as Vinum Gazetum or Gaza wine, because it was shipped from an ancient port city near modern Gaza and was highly prized in Byzantine literature, NPR.org reports.

Ancient winery from Byzantine times. (Source: IAA/Yaniv Berman via Arkeonews.net)

Archaeologists discovered a large complex consisting of five wine presses, four large cellars where the wine was ripened, a kiln where clay wine jugs were roasted, and tens of thousands of broken jars.

Media reports about the discovery noted that scientists had been excavating nearly 7 sq km of land over two years as part of the Israel Land Authority's plan to expand Yavne into the surrounding area.

The ancient city excavated was a Christian city with three large churches, but at the same time, around AD 520, there was also a Jewish and Samaritan population in the city.

"We were pleasantly surprised to find a state-of-the-art factory here, which is used to produce wine in commercial quantities", the authors quoted the Sputnik News October 12 Daily Mail as saying.

"Calculations of the production capacity of these winepresses show that approximately two million liters of wine are marketed annually, while we must bear in mind that the entire process is done manually," continue the authors.

Interestingly enough, a winepress more than 2,300 years old was also discovered during excavations, which shows the long history of winemaking in the area.

To note, drinking wine diluted with water was common among adults and children due to poor water quality during ancient times and the Byzantine period.