In northern Israel, archaeologists have unearthed relics of past cultures from the Bronze Age. Among the unusual finds are the country’s oldest wine press, which is 5,000 years old, as well as ritual vessels from people of the Canaanite culture, who lived in the country before the Israelites. A set of vessels that is still intact could have been used by farmers at the time for ceremonial decanting of liquids such as wine or oil.
Near Tel Megiddo in northern Israel, archaeologists from the state antiquities authority searched for historical treasures in advance of planned road construction work. They came across a number of unusual relics from different eras.
Wine presses and houses bear witness to early settlement in the valley
Among the finds is a simple wine press from the Early Bronze Age. The facility consists of a basin carved into the rock with an inclined tread surface and a collecting basin underneath. The production facility turned out to be around 5,000 years old, making it one of the oldest wine presses ever discovered in the country and the world. “The wine press is unique, one of the few known examples from this early period when urbanization began in our region,” report Amir Golani and Barak Tzin of the Israel Antiquities Authority. “Wine presses are common throughout the country, but dating them is extremely difficult. Until now, only indirect evidence suggested that wine was being made in our area as early as 5,000 years ago. But we lacked clear evidence as to when this happened. This wine press finally provides clear evidence that wine was actually produced here at such an early age.”
The archaeologists also found the remains of numerous residential buildings around the wine press. These finds prove that people populated the Jezreel Valley, in which the Tel Megiddo archaeological site is located, very early and densely. Accordingly, they built houses far beyond the Bronze Age city of Megiddo, which was then located at the intersection of second trade and highways.
Ceremonial relics of Canaanite culture
During their excavations, the archaeologists also found a miniature shrine and several ceramic utensils that are around 3,300 years old and therefore date from the Late Bronze Age. These are objects from people from the Canaanite or Canaanite culture. The Canaanites, also known as Canaanites, were a highly developed civilization closely linked to the Phoenicians. They lived from the fourth to the second millennium BC in the area of today’s Israel, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, in the biblical land of Canaan. Among the relics of this culture were everyday storage vessels, jugs and jugs imported from Cyprus, the team explains.
However, according to archaeologists, the vessels now discovered could also have been used for domestic rituals and ceremonies. This theory is supported by the fact that they were carefully and orderly placed in the ground, probably as ritual offerings. Some of these vessels could also have been used for ceremonial pouring of liquids: the team also found an intact set consisting of a ram-shaped vessel and some smaller bowls. The arrangement of these vessels allows conclusions to be drawn for the first time about what ceremonies the people of the Canaanite culture held thousands of years ago.
“A small bowl attached to the ram’s body served as a funnel; a similar bowl with a handle was probably used to pour the liquid into the funnel during a ceremony. The ram’s head was shaped like a spout. Once the vessel was filled, the liquid poured out of its mouth when the ram leaned forward and was collected in a small bowl in front of it,” report the researchers. “The set of vessels appears to have been intended to pour valuable liquids such as milk, oil, wine or other drinks. These were either drunk directly from the spout or poured into a smaller vessel – for consumption or as a divine offering.”
Since these vessels were found outside Tel Megiddo, but in direct line of sight of the temple there, archaeologists suspect that the ritual objects came from Canaanite farmers who were not allowed access to the city and temple. They may have come from their fields and consecrated valuable products of their work such as wine or oil at this point. During this ceremony they probably used a large rock outcropping as an open-air altar, which is located right next to the site. The excavations reveal a piece of everyday life and the beliefs of the people who lived in this region at the time. The artifacts are now on public display in Jerusalem.
Extraordinary archaeological discoveries near Tel Megiddo in northern Israel. © Israel Antiquities Authority
Source: Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), The Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archeology of Israel