The findings indicate that its use began as early as the Hellenistic period and continued into the early Roman period. The Antiquities Authority will recommend that the remains be preserved and integrated into an archaeological garden
In the excavations of the Antiquities Authority near Aloni Abba, a house for making olive oil on an industrial scale was revealed that is more than 2000 years old. The fabric house was installed inside a hewn cave and has several facilities.
On one side of the Cave of the House of Bed were found the Sea Stone, on which the olives were sprinkled, and on it the Hammel Stone which was driven by an animal. On the other side of the cave is the press of the house of the cloth which included a pair of virgin stones on which were placed the akels (baskets of olives) and on which was the cloth (a large wooden beam from which the structure is named). Four heavy stone weights were hung on the beam and thus the oil was squeezed from the olives.
The find from the cloth house indicates that its early use began in the Hellenistic period (first-fourth centuries BC) and continued to the early Roman period (first century AD). On the floor of the cave were found bone spoons that were used to collect the olive paste from the sea stone and a stone seal, whose purpose is not yet clear, with a drawing of a bird and an olive tree branch.
Due to the beauty and importance of the site, the Antiquities Authority will not allow building on it and will recommend preserving the remains and integrating them as an open archaeological garden in the new neighborhood that will be built there. The residents of Aloni Abba were invited by the Galilee Archaeological Center of the Antiquities Authority to visit the site and received explanations about the unique find.
