Unearthing History: A 1,300-Year-Old Olive Oil Workshop Discovered in Ancient Shiloh

Unbelievable Discovery: A 1,300-year-old public olive oil workshop has been recently unearthed in ancient Shiloh. Archaeologists highlight its historical importance, noting that it underscores Shiloh's role as the oil production hub of the Benjamin region during that era.

This workshop was discovered during the latest excavation season at Tel Shiloh, led by Dr. Ofer Gat. It dates back to the early Islamic period, spanning the 7th to the 10th century CE. This discovery complements a similar find from 2010, where another nearby olive oil workshop was revealed.

The olive oil workshop discovered in the Israel Antiquities Authority excavation in Modiin (Photo: Israel Antiquities Authority)

According to the archaeologists, the close proximity of these two workshops indicates the nature of the facilities and the importance and scale of olive oil production during this period.

In addition, a large cache of charred olive pits, pottery lamp fragments, and glass light cups from the same period were found, used for lighting.

The ancient city of Shiloh served as Israel's capital for 369 years and was home to the Tabernacle and the central production site for oil during that era, as noted earlier.