Archaeological finds in Israel have shed light on life in ancient Yavne, a town in central modern-day Israel that served as the retreat for Jewish authorities after the Romans sacked Jerusalem in 70 CE.

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The excavation has unearthed ruins of a building with cups made of chalkstone, a material deemed appropriate for Jewish religious rites, pointing to the presence of the exiled Sanhedrin legislative assembly, the Israel Antiquities Authority said.

Cited by the Roman historian Josephus Flavius, Yavne served as focal point of Jewish activity. According to Jewish scripture, the Sanhedrin was reconstituted there with Roman consent.

"This is a direct voice from the past, from the period when the Jewish leadership salvaged the remaining fragments from the fall of the [Jerusalem] Temple," the IAA said in a statement.

Also discovered near the site was a cemetery with dozens of graves, including sarcophagi, and more than 150 glass phials placed on top of the tombs, which the IAA said were probably used to store fragrant oils.

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A 1,500-year-old wine factory the size of a modern-day football field has been unearthed in Israel, showing how vintners met demand for high quality white wine popular throughout the ancient world.

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Excavated in Yavne, some 30 km (18 miles) south of Tel Aviv, the cluster of five winepresses was once able to produce about 2 million liters (530,000 gallons) a year, the Israel Antiquities Authority said.

Video: Reuters

The stone structures were so well preserved that it is still easy to visualize the winemaking process – from the platform where piles of grapes split open under their own weight, releasing "free-run" juice for the choicest wines, to the grape-stomping floor and collection basins.

Dozens of wine jugs, tall and thin, which were made in large kilns on site and able to hold up to 25 liters (6.6 gallons), were also found.

The dig team said these were known as "Gaza jars" after the nearby port from which they were shipped abroad. Such jars have been found across Europe, evidence that the wine was in high demand.

Wine was a common beverage in ancient times, served to children as well as adults, said Jon Seligman, one of the excavation directors. It was often used as a substitute for water, which was not always safe to drink, or as an additive to improve its taste and nutritional value.

"Having five huge winepresses right next to each other shows that there is industrial design over here," Seligman said, describing the complex, which authorities plan to open to the public. "The apex of the wine production which was associated with the Gazan wines."

And did the final product taste like wines of today?

It's impossible to know, Seligman said, while noting that ancient texts have described the beverage as a light white wine that was "agreeable to the taste."

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