1,500-year-old wine factory unearthed in Israel

The wine-making complex had compartments where the grapes were likely left to ferment after being delivered from the vineyard,the Israel Antiquities Authority IAA has said.

At its centre was a large,sloped treading floor where the fruit was pressed,sending the juice flowing into settling and collecting vats. The archaeologists said they found a cavity that was probably used to turn grape waste into vinegar and low-grade 8220;paupers8217; wine8221;,LiveScience reported.

8220;Three similar wine presses were found in the region close to the main road leading from Ashkelon,located along the coast,to Bet Guvrin which is in the Judean Shephelah. Ashkelon was a commercial city with a port through which wine from Israel was marketed to the entire Mediterranean Sea basin,8221; said Saar Ganor,the Ashkelon district archaeologist of the IAA.

The church-shaped lantern found at the site gives a clue as to who was behind the wine-making operation. The ceramic artifact had an oval opening on one side where a little oil lamp would have been slipped inside.

The crosses,carved into the sides of the 8220;church,8221; would have glowed when lit up.