Winery and bathhouse key to ancient Jerusalem 3 March 2016
- Winery and bathhouse key to ancient Jerusalem 3 March 2016
Israeli archaeologists uncover 1,600 year old winery and bathhouse in Jerusalem excavation.
SHOWS:
JERUSALEM (MARCH 2, 2016) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
1. EXCAVATION SITE
2. MOSAIC ON GROUND AT EXCAVATION SITE
3. JERUSALEM DISTRICT ARCHAEOLOGIST, AMIT RE' EM, WALKS ON THE EXCAVATION AREA
4. WINERY PRESS
5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) AMIT RE' EM, JERUSALEM DISTRICT ARCHAEOLOGIST, SAYING:
This place was handed to the British and they evacuated all its German citizenship and turned this historical orphanage to a military base. Later on, the IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) also inside the orphanage house erected a military base. It was here, until few years ago. But nobody knew, not the German, not the British and not the Israelis, what they are sitting on. When we, the archaeologists, arrived here we discovered here ancient remains dating to the late Roman period the beginning of the byzantine period. I am talking about the third and fourth century CE (Common Era).
6. WARNING SIGN AT EXCAVATION SITE
7. VARIOUS WORKER DIGGING AT EXCAVATION SITE
8. EXCAVATION POINT
9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) AMIT RE' EM, JERUSALEM DISTRICT ARCHAEOLOGIST, SAYING:
Also, we find remains from the second temple period. We find a very elaborated wine press for making wine. We find here bathhouse, very unique and large. Bathhouse dating to the Roman period. We find here ritual baths. Numerous ceramics, pottery and glass vessels. We have also an evidence that the Roman tenth legion was here. You know this is a very well known legionnaire, Roman soldiers. They were when the first revolt of sixty six seventy AD (Anno Domini or Common Era). And the destruction of Jerusalem was here.
10. MORE OF EXCAVATION SITE
11. VARIOUS OF EXCAVATION DIRECTOR, ALEX WIEGMANN, WORKING AT SITE
12. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ALEX WIEGMANN, EXCAVATION DIRECTOR, SAYING:
I am standing right now in an installation which was used possibly as a Jewish ritual bathroom in the second temple period or as a water cistern. What is important about this installation is that it was later reused as a refuse pit by the Roman villa which was built here in the late Roman and early Byzantine period in the fourth or fifth century CE (Common Era). Inside this pit, we found thousands of broken vessels, clay vessels and also glass vessels.
13. VARIOUS OF WIEGMANN EXPLAINING ABOUT EXCAVATION POINT
14. VARIOUS EXCAVATION PIECES
15. PEOPLE IN STREET AT JEWISH ULTRA-ORTHODOX NEIGHBORHOOD
STORY: Israeli archaeologists said on Wednesday (March 2) they had discovered a winery and bathhouse, key to ancient Jerusalem.
Archaeologists say they have found the remnants of a large wine press that includes a pressing surface paved with a white mosaic surrounded by eight cells for storing the grapes and a pit in the centre.
This place was handed to the British and they evacuated all its German citizenship and turned this historical orphanage to a military base. Later on, the IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) also inside the orphanage house erected a military base. It was here, until few years ago. But nobody knew, not the German, not the British and not the Israelis, what they are sitting on. When we, the archaeologists, arrived here we discovered here ancient remains dating to the late Roman period the beginning of the byzantine period. I am talking about the third and fourth century CE (Common Era), said Amit Re' Em, Jerusalem district archaeologist working at site.
Also we find remains from the second temple period. We find a very elaborated winepress for making wine. We find (found) here bathhouse, very unique and large. Bathhouse dating to the Roman period. We find (found) here ritual bath. Numerous ceramics, pottery and glass vessels. We have also an evidence that the Roman tenth legion was here. You know this is a very well known legionnaire, Roman soldiers. They was (were) when the first revolt of sixty six seventy AD (Anno Domini or Common Era). And the destruction of Jerusalem was here, he added.
I am standing right now in an installation which was used possibly as a Jewish ritual bathroom in the second temple period or as a water cistern. What is important about this installation is that it was later reused as a refuse pit by the Roman villa which was built here in the late Roman and early Byzantine period in the fourth or fifth century CE (Common Era). Inside this pit, we found thousands of broken vessels, clay vessels and also glass vessels, said Alex Wiegmann, excavation director.
According to a written statement, the Israel Antiquities Authority said they believe the Schneller site, in the form of a manor house, constituted an auxiliary settlement to the main site that was previously unearthed.