Fascinating findings were discovered during an archeological excavation conducted prior to the establishment of a new residential neighborhood initiated by the Ramat Hasharon municipality.

 

The excavation unearthed evidence of industrial agricultural activities at the site dating to the Byzantine period – about 1,500 years ago. Among the finds, we discovered a large winepress paved with a mosaic floor, various plastered installations, and foundations of a large structure that may have been used as a warehouse or farmstead.

 

Dr. Yoel Arbel, director of the excavation on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, says that "Inside the buildings and installations, we found many fragments of storage jars and cooking pots that were used by laborers who worked in the fields here. We also recovered mortars and millstones used to grind wheat and barley and probably crush herbs and medicinal plants. Most of the stone implements are made of basalt stone from the Golan Heights and Galilee."

 

One of the rare and unexpected finds uncovered during the excavation is a gold coin minted during the reign of the Byzantine emperor Heraclius in 638 or 639 CE. On one side of the coin, the emperor is depicted with his two sons and on the other a cross upon the hill of Golgotha where Jesus was crucified according to Christian tradition.

 

An interesting addition to the coin is an inscription scratched in Greek and possibly Arabic. According to Dr. Robert Kool, head of the Israel Antiquities Authority's Numismatics Department, this inscription marks the name of the coin's owner as it was highly valuable.

 

Some installations built at the site date to the seventh century CE after the Muslim conquest include a glass-making workshop and a warehouse, with four massive jars sunk into the floor. These jars were used to store grain and other products and buried to prevent infestation and spoilage.

 

"In this period, people were not only working at the site but also lived here; we know this because we discovered the remains of houses and two large baking ovens," says Arbel.

 

Avi Gruber, Mayor of Ramat Ha-Sharon, says, "I am thrilled by the finds, and we have already started working with the contractors of the Neve Gan North project to integrate the finds within the future neighborhood. I want all our residents to enjoy learning about ancient life here from late antiquity and the Middle Ages.

 

We are currently planning to celebrate the cities 100-year anniversary, and these new findings give us a whole new perspective on how people once lived in this part of the country."

 

According to Eli Eskozido, director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, "The material remains of the cultural heritage uncovered in our excavations, preserved for ages, are of the most important national assets. The Israel Antiquities Authority sees great importance in making the findings accessible to the public in partnership with local and international communities.

 

Diego Barkan, Tel Aviv Region District archaeologist for the Israel Antiquities Authority, says, "This is the first archaeological excavation ever conducted at the site, and only part of it was previously identified in an archaeological field survey.