During an excavation in northern Israel, an ancient potters’ workshop has been discovered. Experts believe that this ancient workshop dates all the way back to Roman times.
During an excavation in Shlomi, the Israel Antiquities Authority found a ceramic factory that was storing jars and wine vessels that were made 1,600 years ago. The team in charge of this excavation note that this workshop contains a rock-cut kiln that was very carefully constructed for its time period. Joppe Gosker, the head of this excavation states that, “What makes the pottery works so special is its unique kiln, which was hewn in bedrock and is unlike most of the kilns known to us that were built of stone, earth, and mud.”
This particular kiln is made of two separate chambers. The first one is a firebox where tinder would have been burned. The second chamber was where the pottery was placed to harden. Gosker adds that “The ceramic debris that was piled up around the kiln indicates that two types of vessels were manufactured here.” During this excavation, the archaeological team also found an assortment of fragments that were stored in an array of jars. In addition to this find, the team found vessels that are known as amphoras. These vessels had large handles and were used to store wine. This unique kiln isn’t the only amazing discovery. During their excavation, the team discovered an ancient water-storage system.
Photo: Live Science
Experts believe that the geological conditions of Shlmoi made this an ideal spot for this unique kiln. The area is full of a chalky bedrock, that is soft enough to be quarried while also being strong enough to within stand the hot kiln temperatures. This amazing discovery isn’t the only unique kiln to be found in Israel. At the beginning of this year, a team of archaeologist uncovered one of the oldest glass kiln’s known to man. This particular kiln was discovered near Haifa and it dates back to the late Roman period.
This excavation took place over the last six months. The team went to investigate the area before the construction of a residential area began. According to the Israel Antiquities Authority, a portion of the area will use this historic site as an archaeological park that will be open to the public.