A 1,400 year-old well was found at Tel-Aviv hi-tech district

Archaeological salvage excavations conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority in northern Tel Aviv, unearthed recently a 1,400 year-old water drawing system, which was used during the Byzantine and the Early Islamic periods.

According to Eli Hadad, director of the excavation, this is the first time that such a relatively advanced system known as an "Antilla" system is found in this area. Such pumping systems utilized donkeys to pump water out of the ground and were introduced into the region during the Roman period (2,000 years ago) and onwards. Only a few of those relatively advanced systems have ever been studied in depth. IAA says this discovery lends an important insight into the daily life in the Yarkon river area 1,400 years ago.

This is not the first archaeological finding in this part of northern Tel-Aviv, known as an area which houses high-tech firms. Previous excavations have revealed among other things, a magnificent mausoleum dated to the end of the second century AD and the remains of wine presses from the Byzantine period.

Photos: Carmi Ginsbergtz and Hemi Schiff, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority.