Ancient Canaanite ritual artifacts and winepress unearthed near Tel Megiddo

Ritual artifacts and a 5,000-year-old wine press were recently found in Israel belonging to the Canaanites, an ancient people mentioned in the Old Testament.

The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced the find near Tel Megiddo on November 5. The excavation took place in conjunction with the construction of highway 66 in the Jezreel Valley.

Tel Megiddo is famously referenced in the Book of Revelation. This area is called “Armageddon” and is closely related to the Hebrew phrase “Har Megiddo” meaning “mountain of Megiddo”.

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In terms of time frame, the finds ranged from Israel’s Early Bronze Age, around 3000 BC, to the Late Bronze Age, around 1270 BC.

The standout artifact was a rock-cut wine press, which officials described as the oldest wine press ever discovered in Israel.

“This wine press is unique and one of the very few known examples from such an ancient period when urbanization first occurred in our region,” officials said in a statement. he said.

“So far, indirect evidence has suggested that wine may have been produced 5,000 years ago, but we had no conclusive evidence of this. … [T]”The wine press finally provides clear new evidence that early wine production did indeed occur here.”

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Archaeologists also found intriguing and fully intact evidence of a Canaanite folk cult dating back 3,300 years, including a ceramic temple model and animal-shaped ritual vessels.

The IAA said the vessels were “carefully placed on the ground in an orderly burial ceremony as ritual offerings.”

The Canaanite artifacts, including temple models and animal-shaped vessels, date to about 3,300 years ago, the researchers said. (Katerina Katzan, Israel Antiquities Authority)

“These included a miniature ceramic model of a shrine, storage jars, jugs and jugs imported from Cyprus, and unique and impressive vessels possibly used for drinking or ceremonial pouring of liquids,” the statement said. The statement was included.

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Historians believe it was used to funnel precious liquids such as milk, oil or wine during ceremonies.

The burial sites indicate the existence of a folk cult operating outside the city, probably consisting of local farmers who were unable to enter the main temple.

“[The finds] “Let us get to know the daily life and beliefs of the inhabitants for thousands of years.”

This allows them to “deliver liquids or valuable agricultural products,” the statement said.

“Some of these gifts were discovered as intact pottery vessels buried near a large rock outcrop outside the Canaanite city of Megiddo that may have been used as an open-air altar,” the researchers said.

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Recent excavations “revealed a new part of the matrix between known settlements in the city,” officials said in a statement.

They added: “The 5,000-year-old shear wine press places the beginnings of the local wine industry in a very early urban settlement context, while offerings from the period around 3,300 years ago show a continuity of ritual blessing and drinking outside the sacred complex within the narrative, possibly expressing some aspects of local Canaanite folk cult.”

The excavation offers a new perspective on the daily life and beliefs of ancient inhabitants who lived near the city of Megiddo. (Emil Aladjem, Israel Antiquities Authority)

IAA director Eli Escusido said the finds “reveal layer by layer the richness of history that is hidden and buried under the ground here.”

He added: “The discovery of ancient winemaking facilities and evidence of public worship outside Megiddo provide insight into the daily lives and beliefs of the inhabitants over thousands of years.”

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This isn’t the only new discovery made at the Tel Megiddo site.

Earlier this year, archaeologists announced they had found evidence of a biblical battle at the site.

The discoveries have revealed “layer after layer” of history long hidden beneath Israel’s Jezreel Valley, an expert has said. (Barak Tzin, Israel Antiquities Authority)

Speaking to Fox News Digital, archaeologist Assaf Kleiman said pottery at the site indicates the presence of an Egyptian army, particularly the soldiers who defeated King Josiah.

“The discovery of a large number of Egyptian vessels, including serving bowls, cooking vessels and fragments of storage jars, is an extraordinary phenomenon,” Kleiman said.

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“We therefore understand that this represents Egyptians who settled in Megiddo in the late 7th century, perhaps as part of an army force that arrived in the region following the collapse of the Assyrian Empire.”