We arrived at Kibbutz Yizrael at about 4:30 am local time after about 27 hours of traveling. Tired but exited about the coming events. After a breakfast and brief orientation, we travelled by van to the dig site where we helped prepare the dig site by clearing brush and erecting sun shades. Afterwards we toured some of the discoveries from earlier digs. One of the most fascinating was a winepress located atop a hill in the fertile Jezreel Valley. Its central location allowed easy import of grapes from adjacent fields and facilitated quick transfer of the finished product to nearby housing complexes. The press is similar to the one Naboth the Jezreelite would have used in 1 Kings 21. Workers placed grapes into a large square recess and then stomped them to pulp; allowing gravity to carry the juices to a fermentation tank further down the hill where it stayed until bottling. Afterwards, the remaining grape mush was mixed with water and fermented to make cheaper lower quality wine. |
| Fellow Wesley students and amateur Archeologists examining the wine press. |
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