The 1,500-year-old complex was used to produce “huge” quantities of wine, with the main market being the Mediterranean region. With around 300 employees and operating five days a week, the factory was capable of producing around two million liters of wine a year, according to archaeologists.
The Israel Antiquities Authority (IIA) said the excavated items included five wine presses, four large wine storage rooms, clay amphorae and thousands of fragments of wine jars as well as intact specimens to this day.
The remains of the winery at Yavne show that it was of immense scale.
Surprisingly, all the wine here is produced entirely by hand, the grapes are crushed by bare feet under the treads to extract the liquid, which is then stored in wine cells until it ferments. Drinks in ancient times were often not sterile, but because of the delicious taste, drinking wine was very popular with both adults and children. Besides, wine can also be used as a substitute for normal drinking water.
“We were surprised to find such a large-scale and commercially used factory at this site,” said Dr. Elie Haddad of the IIA. “Moreover, a series of decorative motifs such as mother-of-pearl adorned the wine presses, which clearly shows the wealth of the factory owners.”
Some ceramic artifacts were found during the excavation.
The IIA says that the Wine of Gaza and Ashkelon was considered one of the finest wines of antiquity, with a reputation that extended far beyond the region. It was so named because the wine would be marketed through the ports of Gaza and Ashkelon, and then transported throughout the Mediterranean basin.
Jon Seligman, one of the project's directors, said he and other archaeologists were surprised by the "intricacy of the architecture and the industrial processes" at the site. "Gaza and Ashkelon wine was a very prestigious product, favored by the ancient aristocracy," he added, adding that the wine was an important part of the cuisine and economy of the entire region.
Intact amphora were found during the excavation.
According to archaeologists, the excavation site is located in the city of Yavne, which was once a Jewish settlement during the Byzantine period that existed between 330 and 1453. Byzantine was not only a powerful empire in ancient history but also one of the leading civilizations of mankind.
The public was previously invited to visit the site before it closed during the rainy season. Israeli authorities have planned to preserve and reopen parts of the complex to the public in the future.
