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‘World’s Oldest’ Wine Cellar Uncovered in Galilee

By C. J. Refsland on November 24, 2013 • ( 0 )

Marriage at Cana by Giotto, 14th century

My Comment: It’s amazing that they are still uncovering the past that either hints or proves the Bible. This story of Jesus’ first miracle has always fascinated me.

John 2: 1-10On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”

Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.”His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”

Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it. When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”

(Israel National News) Israeli and American archaeologists have uncovered what may have been the world’s oldest wine cellar in the Galilee, Business Standard reports. The cellar is estimated to be about 3,700 years old and to have held up to 2,000 liters of strong, sweet wine.

Forty intact jars were found in the cellar, which dates as far back at 1700 BCE. Each of the jars would have held fifty liters of wine. The cellar is located in the Tel Kabri ruins, which are off of Kibbutz Kabri, a village near Nahariya.
“This is a hugely significant discovery – it’s a wine cellar that, to our knowledge, is largely unmatched in age and size,” said Eric Cline, chair of the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at The George Washington University.
Cline and Assaf Yasur-Landau, chair of the Department of Maritime Civilizations at the University of Haifa, co-directed the excavation which found the cellar in July this year.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia