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According to the Israel Antiquities Administration, the findings indicate that the central town of Yavni was a winery during the Byzantine period.
Israeli archaeologists say they have discovered a huge ancient winery with a history dating back about 1,500 years.
They said the complex found in the center of Yavne includes five wine presses, warehouses, kilns for the production of clay storage vessels, and tens of thousands of fragments and jars.
According to the Israel Antiquities Authority, this discovery indicates that Yavne was a winery during the Byzantine period. Researchers estimate that the facility can produce about 2 million liters (520,000 gallons) of wine each year.
One of the head of the excavation, Jon Seligman, said that the wine produced in the region is called “Gaza” wine and is exported to the entire region. Researchers believe that the Yavne location is the main production facility for the label.
“This is a famous wine, a light white wine, which has been brought to many countries around the Mediterranean,” he said, including Egypt, Turkey, Greece, and possibly southern Italy.
Seligman said that wine was not only an important source of export and enjoyment in ancient times. “Besides, it’s a major source of nutrition, it’s a safe drink, because the water is often contaminated, so they can drink wine safely,” he said.
According to the Antiquities Administration, the complex was discovered during excavations in the past two years as part of the development of Yavne, a town in southern Tel Aviv.
Aerial photos taken by drones show an important 1,500-year-old winery in Yavne, Israel [Tsafrir Abayov/AP Photo]
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