TZIPPORI, ISRAEL—The Times of Israel reports that two winepresses constructed in the fourth century A.D. have been unearthed in northern Israel, in Zippori National Park. The presses are unusual in that they were found inside a repurposed water cistern built with five arches sometime during the first or second centuries A.D. “[The] winepresses were found in the largest of two arched-reservoirs in the Zippori National Park, which are part of the impressive water system at the site, including long aqueducts that provided water to the ancient city of Zippori,” explained archaeologist Zvika Tzuk of Israel’s National Parks Authority. He also said that it is impossible to know who built the roofed winepresses, since during the Byzantine period, Tzippori was home to Jews, Christians, and pagans. To read about another recent discovery in Israel dating to the Byzantine period, go to “Gods of the Galilee.”
