Submerged Village Might Be Home to the First Olive Mills
Maritime archaeÂolÂoÂgists are excaÂvatÂing a 7,500-year-old underÂwaÂter vilÂlage off the coast of Haifa, Israel, believed to be the world’s oldÂest olive oil proÂducÂtion cenÂter. The disÂcovÂery of crushed olive stones and olive pulp sugÂgests that olive oil proÂducÂtion techÂnolÂogy was used in this region as early as 6,500 years ago, 500 years earÂlier than preÂviÂously thought.
Maritime archaeÂolÂoÂgists from Australia and Israel are excaÂvatÂing a 7,500-year-old underÂwaÂter vilÂlage that may have been the oldÂest olive oil proÂducÂtion cenÂter in the world. The Levantine vilÂlage datÂing back to the Neolithic period is subÂmerged under 5 meters of water at a site called Kfar Samir off the coast of Haifa, Israel.
The excaÂvaÂtion team is made up of marÂitime archaeÂolÂoÂgists Jonathan Benjamin from Flinders University, Australia and Ehud Galili, of the Israel Antiques Authority and the University of Haifa, Israel. Previous excaÂvaÂtions at the site have sugÂgested olive oil may have been proÂduced in the preÂhisÂtoric setÂtleÂment, which would make it the world’s oldÂest cenÂter for olive oil proÂducÂtion.
A 1997 study, pubÂlished in the Journal of Archaeological Science, described the underÂwaÂter excaÂvaÂtions at Kfar Samir which uncovÂered thouÂsands of crushed olive stones and olive pulp buried in pits. The disÂcovÂery revealed that olive oil proÂducÂtion techÂnolÂogy was used in this region as early as 6,500 years ago, 500 years earÂlier than preÂviÂously believed.
During the recent excaÂvaÂtions, the research team dug out a strucÂture which was once a fresh water well that had later been used for waste disÂposal. The researchers took samÂples of the sand covÂerÂing the well which when anaÂlyzed may give imporÂtant insights into the sociÂety that once lived in the ancient vilÂlage, includÂing details about their early Mediterranean diet and trade pracÂtices.
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