Lead
Archaeologists working ahead of a planned Highway 66 expansion in northern Israel have uncovered a carved stone wine press dating to roughly 5,000 years ago at the Tel Megiddo site, and a separate cache of ritual objects tied to a Canaanite cult dating about 3,300 years. The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) says the press is the earliest direct evidence of wine production yet found in the country. The finds were revealed at an academic conference in Haifa and span multiple occupation layers from the early to late Bronze Age. Excavation directors described the wine press as decisive physical proof of local viniculture and linked ritual material as evidence of organized cult practice in the region.
Key Takeaways
- The carved stone wine press at Tel Megiddo dates to about 5,000 years ago and is reported by the Israel Antiquities Authority as the earliest confirmed wine-production installation in present-day Israel.
- Archaeological work took place before construction of Highway 66 and covered roughly three-quarters of a mile around the scheduled road corridor.
- Alongside the press, excavators recovered a small temple model and a set of ceremonial utensils dated to about 3,300 years ago, suggesting ritual activity in the late Bronze Age.
- Material culture discovered includes residential foundations, ritual vessels, and imported Cypriot pottery, indicating trade and complex local practices.
- Finds span the early Bronze Age (about 3300–3000 B.C.E.) through the late Bronze Age (about 1550–1400 B.C.E.), showing long-term occupation at Tel Megiddo.
- The discoveries were presented at the annual conference organized by the IAA and the University of Haifa’s School of Archaeology and Maritime Civilizations.
Background
Tel Megiddo is a multilayered tell in northern Israel long known to archaeologists for its sequence of Bronze and Iron Age occupations. The site has been the focus of intermittent excavations for more than a century because of its strategic location on trade and military routes in the Levant. Broadly, Canaanite populations inhabited coastal and inland Levantine zones before and during the early Israelite period; archaeological evidence helps separate cultural practices attributed to Canaanite communities from later Israelite developments.
Planned infrastructure projects in Israel commonly trigger salvage excavations, where archaeologists perform systematic digs ahead of road or building work. The Highway 66 project required a large-area archaeological survey and excavations across nearly three-quarters of a mile, revealing remains from multiple eras rather than a single occupation. Recoveries of imported pottery, domestic architecture and ritual items paint a picture of a community engaged in regional trade and religious practice over millennia.
Main Event
Excavation directors Dr. Amir Golani and Barak Tzin (Israel Antiquities Authority) reported uncovering a stone- carved installation interpreted as a wine press. The installation includes a treading surface and a collection basin cut into bedrock — architectural features consistent with ancient viniculture installations elsewhere in the Mediterranean. The team dates the press to roughly 5,000 years ago based on stratigraphy and associated finds from the early Bronze Age layers.
In a later stratigraphic horizon, teams recovered a small architectural model interpreted as a temple and one set of ceremonial utensils dated to around 3,300 years ago, placing them in the late Bronze Age. These ritual objects were discovered amid domestic remains and ritual vessels, suggesting that cult activity was integrated into or adjacent to everyday settlement areas. Imported Cypriot pottery among the assemblage indicates external contacts and the circulation of goods tied to elite or ritual contexts.
The excavations were carried out under the authority of the IAA and were presented at the IAA–University of Haifa conference on innovations in Israeli excavations. Photographs from the dig (credited to Assaf Peretz/IAA) document the press cut into bedrock and the distribution of features across the excavation footprint. IAA officials emphasize that the context and state of the carved feature support reading it as production infrastructure rather than a purely symbolic or funerary installation.
Analysis & Implications
The stone wine press provides a rare instance of direct, in-situ infrastructure for wine production from the early Bronze Age in the southern Levant. Previously, evidence for ancient viniculture in this region relied heavily on indirect indicators: grape seeds, botanical residues, or iconographic references. An architectural press ties production to a settled economy with specialized installations, implying organization beyond household-level processing.
Ritual paraphernalia from the late Bronze Age horizon suggests continuity or revival of ceremonial practices at Tel Megiddo. The combination of a cultic model, ceremonial utensils and imported pottery points to ritual performance that included elite participation and cross-regional connections. If the model and utensils functioned in structured ceremonies, they expand our understanding of how ritual and economy intersected in Canaanite communities.
Economically, an early viniculture infrastructure implies surplus production and possibly the production of wine for trade or redistribution, not solely household consumption. This has implications for models of social complexity in early urbanizing societies in the Levant, where control of specialized production could underpin emerging hierarchies. Politically, the presence of ritual centers tied to production may reflect local authorities’ use of cultic practices to legitimize status.
Comparison & Data
| Find | Approximate Age | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Stone wine press | ~5,000 years (early Bronze Age) | Carved bedrock installation interpreted for grape treading and drainage |
| Model temple & ceremonial utensils | ~3,300 years (late Bronze Age) | Small-scale ritual assemblage found within settlement layers |
| Imported Cypriot pottery | Late Bronze Age | Indicates trade or exchange networks |
The table summarizes key finds and their chronological placement. Taken together, the evidence suggests repeated use of the site for both economic production and ritual activity across a span of roughly two millennia. While direct presses of comparable antiquity have been noted in other parts of the Mediterranean, this example strengthens arguments for indigenous early wine production in the southern Levant rather than exclusive adoption from distant producers.
Reactions & Quotes
Excavation directors framed the wine press as a turning point for understanding local production of wine in the early Bronze Age.
“Until now, indirect evidence suggested wine production 5,000 years ago, but we lacked a clear, in-situ installation to confirm it.”
Dr. Amir Golani & Barak Tzin, Israel Antiquities Authority (excavation directors)
The IAA emphasized the combined significance of production and ritual finds when presenting the material at the Haifa conference, noting the importance of salvage digs in preserving information before construction.
“This carved press presents a clear, physical indicator of early viniculture in our region.”
Israel Antiquities Authority (official statement)
Unconfirmed
- The exact scale of wine production (household vs. community vs. commercial for trade) has not been established and requires further study of botanical remains and residue analysis.
- No specific texts or inscriptions tying the discovered ritual items to named deities or formal cult institutions have been recovered; the identification as “cult” is based on artifact type and context.
Bottom Line
The Tel Megiddo discoveries combine an unusually early, in-situ wine press with later ritual material, offering concrete archaeological evidence that wine production and organized ceremonial activity occurred at this long-occupied site. The press strengthens claims that viniculture was practiced locally in the southern Levant well before classical historical periods and suggests economic specialization in the early Bronze Age.
Further scientific work — particularly residue analysis, radiocarbon dating of organic samples and broader regional comparison — will refine interpretations about scale, chronology and the social role of wine and ritual at Megiddo. For planners, the finds also underscore the archaeological value of salvage excavations conducted ahead of infrastructure projects.
Sources
- CBS News — news report summarizing IAA announcements (media)
- Israel Antiquities Authority — official agency overseeing excavations and public releases (official)
- University of Haifa, School of Archaeology and Maritime Civilizations — conference organizer and academic partner (academic)