Yavne and the industrial production of Gaza and Ashqelon wines

Abstract

Recent excavations at Yavne show the scale of the wine industry at the site, indicating the central place of its wineries in the viticulture, processing and trade of wines from Ashqelon and Gaza during the Byzantine period. The paper analyses the textual and archaeological evidence for the production and popularity of these wines and gives emphasis to the discovery of a huge wine estate that includes multiple winepresses, warehouses and pottery kilns. These finds are contrasted with similar sites along the southern coastal plain of Late Antique Palestine. The specific wineries and pottery kilns associated with this industry are presented, showing unifying and differentiating characteristics, and the connection between the wineries and adjacent kilns in which ubiquitous Gazan amphorae were manufactured. These traits point towards the creation of a regional terroir (wine growing region) and a branded product from the 5th to 7th centuries CE. Finally, an attempt is made to address the production capacity of this wine industry, as expressed through evaluation of the winepresses at Yavne.

Keywords:

• viticulture
• trade
• wineries
• kilns
• production capacity
• Gazan amphorae — LRA 4
• Late Antiquity

Acknowledgements

This research was conducted as part of the first phase of the ‘mega’ salvage excavation project’ of Yavne between 2019–2021, directed by the authors. We thank the area supervisors, Yaniv Agmon, Dr Hagit Torgë, Ella Nagorsky, Yossi Elisha, Galit Tal, Lior Rauchberger, Avishag Reiss, Shahaf Shaked, Elisheva Zwiebel, Nissim Zeitoune, Nohar Shahar, Yifat Shizaf, Kochava Peterman-Lifchitz, Mor Viezel, Efrat Ben-Porat, Anna Khalatova, Aviv Yonas, Avshalom Davidsko, Jenny Vasiutin, Dr Lior Sandberg, Anastassia Dobrinin, Abdallah Masarwa and Baruch Yozefovsky. Thanks are also due to all the surveyors and draftsmen, Shatil Emmanuilov, Yuliya Gumennaya, Mendel Kahan; Assaf Peretz for the field photos; Dr Robert Kool — numismatics; Dr Yael Gorin-Rosen — glass; Dr Orit Tsuf — ceramics; Dr Lee Perry-Gal and Dr Inbal Katlav — zooarchaeology. We also thank the logistical team: Yoni Amrani, Ziv Lotan, Talmon Oliel and Tamar Harpak; the inspectorate of the Central Region of the IAA; and to the hundreds of labourers working on this project.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).