JERUSALEM, ISRAEL—Archaeological investigations ahead of construction work in central Israel uncovered a 1,600-year-old winepress and limestone quarries with depressions where grapes may have once grown, according to a report from The Times of Israel. Leah Di Segni of the Hebrew University translated a Greek inscription in the structure’s mosaic floor that reads, “Only God help the beautiful property of Master Adios, amen.” The title “master” indicates that Adios had attained high social standing, said Hagit Torge of the Israel Antiquities Authority. The researchers also suggest Adios was a Samaritan, since Samaritan culture flourished in the region during the fifth century A.D., and an ancient Samaritan synagogue has been discovered nearby at Tel Zur Natan. Adios is thought to have made his fortune selling wine from the Holy Land to Christians living in the Byzantine Empire. Torge suggests he may have lived on top of what is now Tel Zur Natan. For more, go to “Food and Wine Gardens: Pompeii, Italy.”
