Yavne: Largest wine factory from the Byzantine era was unveiled

Archaeologists: "About 2 million liters (over 500,000 gallons) of wine were produced here every year." The huge 1,500-year-old industrial area was dug by the Israel Antiquities Authority before a city expansion

The area of the ancient wine industry in Yavne. Photo by Yaniv Berman, Israel Antiquities Authority

Yavne was a world power in the wine industry about 1500 years ago: a huge and well-planned industrial area from the Byzantine era, with impressive wine-making factory - the largest known in the world from that time - was unveiled. It was found during a wide excavation conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority as part of the Israel Land Authority's initiative to expand the city of Yavna. The plant includes five magnificent wine cellars, warehouses for aging and marketing the wine, kilns for burning the pottery, jars which were found intact and access routes which connected between the facilities.

The consumption of wine was very common in ancient times by both children and adults, since water was not always sterile and tasty. Wine was used as a kind of "concentrate" to improve drinking water taste or as a substitute for drinking water. Each of the winepresses which have been exposed covered an area of about 225 square meters (2,400 square feet). Around the press floor used to press the grapes with barefeet to extract the liquid, special chambers were built for fermenting the wine and next to them - two octagonal shaped cisterns for collecting the wine.

Excavation by the Yavne Antiquities Authority - Aerial view. Photo: Assaf Peretz, Israel Antiquities Authority

Column bases that supported the huge wine warehouse. Photo by Yaniv Berman, Israel Antiquities Authority

Yavneh excavation - aerial view. Photo by Assaf Peretz Antiquities Authority

According to Dr. Eli Hadad, Liat Nadav-Ziv and Dr. Yohanan (John) Seligman, the directors of the excavation on behalf of the IAA, "we were surprised to discover a sophisticated factory here, which was used to produce wine in commercial quantities. The highlight of the wineries are oyster-shaped cells ("niches"), which adorned the wineries, and indicate the great wealth of the factory owners. An estimated calculation of the production capacity of the winepresses shows that from here about 2 million liters (over 500,000 gallons) of wine were produced here annually! This is a huge amount even today, and we have to remember that the whole process was done manually. "

Excavation directors, from right to left: Dr. Yochanan (John) Seligman, Liat Nadav-Ziv and Dr. Eli Hadad. Photo: Yaniv Berman, Israel Antiquities Authority

Eli Escozido, Director of the Israel Antiquities Authority

Hundreds of thousands of finds were uncovered in the huge excavation in Yavne. Photo by Yaniv Berman, Israel Antiquities Authority

Between the winepresses, four large warehouses were discovered, which were used as the factory’s winery. The wine was aged in elongated jars, known as 'Gaza jars'. The transition jars, some of which were discovered intact along with tens of thousands more of their fragments were made at the site in large kilns.

"Gaza and Ashkelon Wine" is considered the quality wine brand of the ancient world, a bit like JAFFA oranges "from Israel, whose name has spread far and wide," archaeologists explained. Everyone knew that this was a product of the Holy Land, and everyone wanted more and more of these goods. The wine - which was mostly white wine, got its name because it was marketed through the ports of Gaza and Ashkelon. So far, we have known other sites where wine was made in the South Coast lowlands, but now, we seem to have found the main production center of this prestigious wine. From here - commercial quantities went to the ports, and from there - throughout the Mediterranean basin or the ancient world. "

Dr. Gon Seligman leads the excavation with jars exposed in the excavation. Photo by Yaniv Berman, Israel Antiquities Authority

From right to left-Eli Hadad-Liat Nadav-Ziv-Eli Escozido-Diego Barkan and Gon Seligman

A jar with a lid that was exposed in the excavation. Photo by Yaniv Berman, Israel Antiquities Authority

The largest wine factory in the world of medieval science. Photo by Assaf Peretz Antiquities Authority

Interestingly, excavation in Yavneh revealed rare, even older winepresses - from the Persian period - about 2300 years ago. "In the Mishnah it is said that after the destruction of Jerusalem, the Jewish leadership migrated to Yavneh, and that the sages of Yavneh sat in a vineyard and studied Torah. The existence of a wine industry on the site over many centuries, "archaeologists say.

According to Eli Escozido, Director of the IAA, "Yavneh’s excavation is a mega-excavation of the Israel Antiquities Authority that covers tens of dunams, with the participation of hundreds of workers and dozens of permanent staff and experts. Our archaeologists are doing sacred work by exposing unknown chapters in the history of the country, while working in warm and cold weather. I welcome the cooperation with the Israel Land Authority and the Yavne Municipality, which will allow some of the impressive excavation findings to be presented to the general public."