Two Large Wine Presses at Khirbet Yajuz, Jordan

Abstract

Two wine presses were discovered at Khirbet Yajuz, each consisting of the following: storage and treading basins, treading floor with remnants of mechanical pressing systems, and vats for sedimentation and collecting. Considering the architectural elements, the technological evidence of pressing, the parallel examples from various sites in the region, and the date of pottery from both presses, three stages of use can be suggested. (1) The construction of the southern press dated to the second century A. D. or slightly later; (2) at a later date the northern press was built while the southern press continued in use, and both presses lasted into the Byzantine period; (3) the southern press and part of the northern press were abandoned during the Umayyad period. Both presses were no longer in use by the end of the Umayyad period. The elaborate methods of pressing and the large size of the presses indicate that large vineyards were cultivated in the surrounding area in order to support the intensive production of wine. In addition, wine as an agricultural product indicates the economic prosperity of Yajuz, especially during the sixth and seventh centuries A. D.