A group of young boys in Israel took great care in excavating a wine press about 1,400 years old, not realising they were doing something wrong.

The boys, all self-professed ‘archaeology buffs’, found the sixth to seventh century AD wine press in Jerusalem and then over a period of weeks methodically and with special care and attention to detail, excavated the site, which was unknown to the local Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA).

The wine press, measuring five metres by five metres, consists of a large cistern in which the grapes were pressed, perhaps by foot. The grape juice went from the cistern to pipes carved in stone and the juice was then drained into a pit.

The IAA realised that the dig was too careful and methodical to be the work of robbers and this view was confirmed when a boy of 13 appeared and proudly explained that he and his friends had been working on the site for some weeks.

Unofficial excavation of ancient monuments is technically a crime in Israel but the innocence and enthusiasm with which the boys conducted their ‘dig’ led them to not face any charges – though they have been told to channel their enthusiasm down more official routes next time.

Israel is a veritable wonderland for archaeologists. Wine presses alone are among so many types of archaeological treasures found there; in 2010 archaeologists discovered an even larger wine press of 6.5 by 15.5m in southern Israel.

Wine is thought to have been first produced in Mesopotamia about 6,000 years ago.

The Bible is full of references to wine and there are ancient wine presses all over the Middle East.

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