Excavations by the Israel Antiquities Authority have discovered a cave housing an ancient olive press near Jerusalem College of Technology.
Researchers are still trying to ascertain the artifact’s date, saying this proves of “centrality of olive trade to Jerusalem’s agrarian economy.”
A cave housing an ancient olive press was recently discovered during archeological excavations at a site near the Jerusalem College of Technology, the Israel Antiquities Authority said in a statement Tuesday.
The Antiquities Authority said its researchers were still trying to ascertain the exact date of the artifact, adding they believed the ancient olive press was “part of a town or a farm that once existed on the premises.”
The statement added that the olive press “joins another olive press that was discovered a few years ago in the nearby Beit Hakerem neighborhood,” and that is was “a testament to the centrality of the olive trade to the agrarian economy of Jerusalem and its surroundings.”
The Antiquities Authority and the Jerusalem College of Technology said they plan on turning the site, which is adjacent to the school’s dormitories, into a small park.
View original Israel Hayom publication at: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=10911