In 2012, a community excavation was conducted at Ramot Forest by the Ramot Allon neighborhood in Jerusalem (Permit No. A-6496; map ref. 218200/635046; Fig. 1). The excavation, undertaken on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority and initiated by Mrs. R. Yonah, was directed by H. Neugeborn and D. Tanami, with the assistance of N. Nehama (administration), V. Essman and Y. Shmidov (surveying and drafting), D. Ben-Ami (consultation), N. Zak (plans) and Y. Barshak (computing). The excavation was assisted by volunteers from the community and students from the Ort and Ohr Torah schools in Ramot. The project included the opening of paths leading to the excavation area and the placing of signposts by the JNF.
The excavation was conducted on the western slope of a hill that drops down to Nahal Shemuel (for background and references, see Mizrahi and Forestani 2016). It uncovered a simple winepress typical of Iron Age II (Figs. 2, 3).
The winepress was hewn in the limestone bedrock, comprising a treading floor (L111; c. 2.5 × 3.5 m, max. wall height 1.5 m), a circular filtration pit (diam. 1 m , depth c. 0.7) and a collecting vat (L112; 1.0 × 1.4 m, depth c. 0.6 m), which were joined together by short channels. The treading floor was not completely leveled, and natural fissures in it had apparently been filled with plaster. The northeastern rock side of the treading floor was high, and contained two hewn niches, probably to install a system of beams and weights to express the must. Such niches are characteristic of Iron Age II winepresses. The winepress was devoid of finds.
Mizrahi S. and Forestani R. 2016. Jerusalem, Ramot Allon. HA-ESI 128.