Iraq: Archaeologists unearth 2,700-year-old wine press in Dohuk; Watch bird's eye view

Archaeologists have discovered the first, and possibly the oldest, industrial wine press in Iraq's Dohuk city, dating back over 2,700 years and correlating with a rapid increase in wine consumption among Assyria's ruling imperial elites. Assyria was one of the world's first empires, with a territory that included much of modern-day Iraq, as well as parts of Iran, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey. 'Archaeologists have discovered what they believe is a 2,700-year-old wine press in Dohuk, Iraq, according to the province's Head of Antiquities Baikaz Gamal Eldin,' tweeted Reuters along with the bird's eye view of the wine press.

Professor Daniele Morandi Bonacossi, director of the Land of Nineveh Archaeological Project in Iraq's Kurdistan Region, stated that this is very unique archaeological discovery because it is the first time archaeologists have been able to identify a wine production area in northern Mesopotamia, reported the outlet. The discovery, which was made near the ancient site of Khanis, holds value because of its historical context, according to Bonacossi. The Assyrian scriptures have previously mentioned an upsurge in wine demand, particularly among the court and the social elite. It was also used in a variety of rich people's ceremonial practises.

The discovery includes, 14 installations etched into mountain rocks. People used to press grapes underfoot in the upper, square-shaped basins, extracting juice that poured off into the lower circular basins. After that, the grape juice was gathered in jars, fermented, and mass-marketed. A group of Italian archaeologists from the University of Udine uncovered the site in collaboration with Dohuk antiquities authorities. Notably, the teams are also attempting to have the old edifice added to the UNESCO global heritage list, according to Reuters. 

Byzantine-era winery discovered in Israel

In another significant discovery last month, Israeli archaeologists found a massive 1500-year-old Byzantine-era winery in the Yavne excavation site. The wine-making complex, which consists of five massive wine presses and is located south of Tel Aviv, is reported to be the world's largest of its kind during its time. Each of the wine presses took up about 2,400 square feet of the total 75,000 square feet space. According to reports, the winemaking facility had the capacity to produce two million litres of wine each year. Just for the sake of comparison, the UK currently produces a bit less than 8 million litres of wine, reported The Associated Press (AP). 

Image: Twitter/ @Reuters