The mill, discovered during the construction of a local road, was in use from the 2nd to the 6th centuries AD.
An intact ancient olive oil mill was disÂcovÂered next to a 5th-cenÂtury AD farmÂhouse durÂing conÂstrucÂtion on a provinÂcial road in Lesvos, Greece. The mill was found to be part of a larger comÂplex used for the proÂducÂtion and utiÂlizaÂtion of local prodÂucts from the 2nd to the 6th cenÂturies AD, and its restoraÂtion was funded by European Structural and Investment Funds.
An Ancient olive oil mill was disÂcovÂered durÂing conÂstrucÂtion work on the Thermi-Pigi-Lambou Mylon provinÂcial road on the island of Lesvos, Greece. It was found next to a farmÂhouse from the 5th cenÂtury AD and it was intact.
During the restoraÂtion, it was disÂcovÂered that the oil mill was a part of a large comÂplex assoÂciÂated with the proÂducÂtion and utiÂlizaÂtion of the local prodÂucts such as cereÂals, oil or wine and it was in use from the 2nd to the 6th cenÂturies AD.
The whole work with transÂportaÂtion and restoraÂtion has lasted for two months before the ancient oil mill was shown to the pubÂlic. The project was funded through European Structural and Investment Funds of European Union (ESPA), remindÂing that culÂture should be supÂported even in difÂfiÂcult times for the counÂtry.
“The Ancient olive oil mill was transÂferred unchanged. We’ve set it up again in the courtÂyard of the new Archaeological Museum where we did the whole restoraÂtion work, ​“said Paul Triantaphyllides head of the Antiquities Office of Lesvos at the July openÂing cerÂeÂmony at Mytilene’s new Archaeological Museum.
The disÂcovÂery of the ancient mill will supÂport local efforts to proÂmote the island of Lesvos as an imporÂtant olive oil proÂducer in Greece. Lesvos has around 28 perÂcent of its terÂriÂtory under olive trees and the proÂducÂtion of oil comes mainly from the small proÂducÂers. The island’s averÂage annual proÂducÂtion reaches about 25,000 to 30,000 tons of olive oil and its qualÂity has been recÂogÂnized not only in Greece but in the forÂeign marÂkets, espeÂcially South America and Asia.
While the island is already well known for its Museum of Industrial Olive Oil Production, with the Ancient olive oil mill disÂcovÂery Lesvos will try to inteÂgrate the archiÂtecÂtural, social and culÂtural conÂtexts of its indusÂtrial herÂitage, both in the olive secÂtor and in the wider field of techÂnolÂogy.
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