Relics from a large wine jug factory dating back some 1,800 years have been uncovered in central Israel, complete with baths and game boards possibly meant to allow laborers to relax, archaeologists said on Tuesday.
Finds from the site in Gedera include piles of pottery shards, presumably from flawed and discarded jugs, a network of 20 bathing holes and four ancient game boards.
The factory was active for around 600 years, making vessels for storing wine that were popular export items at the time, the Israel Antiquities Authority said in a statement.
"The ongoing manufacturing may point to this having been a family business, handed down from generation to generation," it said.
It added that the recreational facilities may have served "to relieve workers of the demands of their routine labor."
