Digging up the past

Ancient olive oil press unearthed in Modi’in

Archaeologists say the unusually well-preserved facility was active 1,400 years ago

By TOI staff 15 May 2012, 7:20 pm Edit

The olive oil press found on the outskirts of the city of Modi'in dates back nearly a millennium and a half (Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority)

The olive oil press found on the outskirts of the city of Modi'in dates back nearly a millennium and a half (Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority)

An unusually well-preserved olive oil press was unearthed by archaeologists on the outskirts of the city of Modi’in in central Israel, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced Tuesday.

The press “was used for industrial oil production for consumption and illumination about 1,400 years ago,” the IAA said. That means the press would have been active around the end of the period of Byzantine rule and the beginning of Muslim rule in 637 CE.

The Modi’in dig is being carried out ahead of a planned expansion of the city of 82,000.

The IAA said the press would be preserved and opened to visitors.

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