TEL AVIV, ISRAEL—I24News reports that a large Byzantine-era winepress paved with a mosaic and traces of a large building were uncovered in Ramat Ha-Sharon, which is located in Israel’s central coastal area, by researchers from the Israel Antiquities Authority. “Inside the buildings and installations, we found many fragments of storage jars and cooking pots that were evidently used by laborers working in the fields here,” said excavation director Yoav Arbel. Stone mortars and millstones for grinding wheat, barley, and herbs were also recovered, in addition to a rare gold coin minted in A.D. 638 or 639 by Emperor Heraclius. One side of the coin depicts the emperor with his two sons, while the other shows Christian imagery. To read about the rise and fall of Gaza wine production in the Negev Highlands, go to "Alcohol Through the Ages: Desert Wine."
