The Byzantine and Early Islamic settlement of Khirbat ... - web journal

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Marwan Abu Khalaf, Ibrahim Abu A‘mar, Salah Al-Houdalieh, Robert Hoylandbonds, and reaching a maximum height of about 1.6 m. The results of the archeologicalexcavations show that the press had passed through two successive phases.29. Plan of the winepress excavated in 2003.http://www.webjournal.unior.it - (II) 2006 70ISSN 1827-8868
The Byzantine and Early Islamic settlement of Khirbat Shuwayka5.1. First phase: construction and use of the winepress(a) The western chambers: The inside dimensions of the northern chamber are3 x 1.6 m. It is separated from the middle one, similar in dimension, by astone wall 60 cm wide. The southern chamber is about 2 x 3 m. Its floor consistsof white mosaic and has a regular downward west-east slope of about5%. Each of the three chambers in its eastern part is linked by a channel of10 cm in diameter to a half-circular collecting vat that is 70 cm long by 55cm high and 70 cm deep. The inside walls of these vats are coated by limemixed with a high percentage of small stones, ash and grog, and the floorsare tessellated white.(b) The treading vat: The internal dimensions of this vat are about 6 x 5.85m. The walls were built of different size stones at a height of 80 cm. The internalsides were bleached with lime mixed with small stones and grog 3 cmthick. Inside the southern wall, which is 1.1m wide, two small half-circularvats, unconnected to the treading vat, were found. Their sides were bleachedand the floor of the western one was tessellated in a similar way to those inthe western chambers. Possibly, the height of these two vats is similar to theheight of the wall (80 cm). The floor of the vat that slopes from southeast tonortheast at 2% and of a lower level than the western chambers at 95 cmconsisted of a plaster layer. It was laid on top of compressed mud accumula-a regularly cut hollow cavity was discovered; tions. A stone base containing itwas evidently used to fix a wooden spiral shaft.(c) The main collecting vat: The treading vat and the collecting vat are separatedby a stone wall 90 cm wide within which there is a pottery pipe 12cmin diameter. The end of this channel protrudes about 8 cm inside the collectingvat. The collecting vat (2 x 2.1 m and 1.45 cm deep) was built of medium-sizedstones with regular horizontal bonds 70 cm wide. The internalsides were bleached with a plaster layer about 5 cm thick. At its northwestcorner two protruding separate stones were found. These two stones werethought to be used to facilitate the up and down movement from and to thevat. Possibly, its floor, which was restructured in the second phase, was tessellatedwith mosaic, like the floors of the western chambers.(d) The southern chambers: Large parts of four chambers next to each otherwere found in this industrial installation. While the internal space of thewestern chamber is 1.75 x 1.75 m, the internal space of the other threechambers is between 1.8 x 2 and 2 x 2.1 m. Their floors consist of a brownearth layer compressed to reach 10cm to 1m. The walls whose heights werebetween 40 cm and 1.5 m were built of different sized stones directly on thehttp://www.webjournal.unior.it - (II) 2006 71ISSN 1827-8868
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The Byzantine and Early Islamic settlement of Khirbat ... - web journal

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