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TomaszWaliszewski
911)withthemoneyofthegods,underthe
supervisionofNomerios,Berion,Dareios,and
Klaudios(epimelētōs,sanctuaryofficial,see
Grainger1995:183).AntoniosandSopatros
werementionedasleukurgoi(stonemasons
orworkersinwhitestone,LSJ:1042),Gaios
andSeleucosandDometianosweretektones
(carpenters);theinscriptionwascarvedby
TheoteknosinFebruaryof224.Itisaunique
document,describingasitdoesthecomplex
taskoftheconstructionofapress,involving
inthiscaseatleasttwostonemasonsandeven
threecarpenters.Perhapsweshouldaddtothis
listafewordinaryworkers.
Thelastepigraphicdocumentofuseforthe
studyathandisaGreekfuneraryinscription
discoveredatthenecropolisofTyre.Itis
asimpletextmentioninganeleobastaktēs,
whoshouldbeinterpretedasanoil-porter,
butwecanonlyspeculateaboutthetypeof
hisactivity(Rey-Coquais2002:247;bastaktēs
meansbearer,porter,seeLSJ:310).
103Archaeologicalevidence
Evidenceofoilproductionsuppliedby
archaeologytakesonmuchgreaterimportance
inthefaceofthepaucityofwrittensources.
Toolsusedforthecultivationofolivetrees,
installationsforpressingoil,facilitiesfor
storageanddistribution,aswellasiconographic
representationscanbroadensubstantiallyour
understandingoftheindustry.Areviewof
thecurrentstateofresearchwilldemonstrate
thekindoflimitationsfacedtodayintermsof
methodologyandaccessibledatainthefield
ofSyro-Palestinianarchaeology(foraconcise
surveyofthearchaeologicalevidencefrom
Syria–Palestine,seeBrun2004b:101–141;see
alsoDecker2009:149–173).
Tracesofoliveoilproductionaredurable
andmonumentalincharacter,hencetheyhave
alwaysbeennotedbyscholarsandtravelers,
butnotalwayscorrectlyinterpreted.25Ernest
RenanaswellasClaudeConderandHerbert
Kitchener,theBritishmembersoftheSurveyof
WesternPalestine,sawthemonolithicpiersof
theoilpressesnearTyreandinthenorthernpart
ofthePhoenicianterritoryinthesecondhalf
ofthe19thcenturyandcorrectlyinterpreted
themaselementsofoilpresses,unlikethe
scholarsinotherpartsoftheMediterranean.26
Despitetheseearlyobservations,thesubject
didnotgainmuchwiderinterestbeforethe
1930sand1940sowingtotheprioritiesof
researchfocusedonspectacularremainsof
Mesopotamiancivilizationsandthegrowing
demandforBiblicalstudies.Beginningin1933,
thedesertedRomanandByzantinevillagesof
theLimestoneMassifstartedtobeinvestigated
bytheRussianarchitectGeorgesTchalenko.27
Hisextensivesurveyrevealedthewealthof
theregion,illustratedbydozensofvillages
withchurchesandmonasteries,housesand
agriculturalinstallationsincludingoilpresses.28
Hismagisterialhypothesisinterpretingthe
economicaspectsofthesesettlementsderived
theprosperityoftheregionfromoliveoilsold
inthe3rd–6thcenturiesADinthenearby
²5RegardingthepaucityofevidenceofoilinstallationsinclassicalGreece,Foxhall(1993:192)pointedoutafewfactorsresponsible
atleastinpartforthesituation:differentfocusofarchaeologicalresearchconcentratedonthehistoryoftheGreekpolis,reuseof
elementsofinstallationsoverthecenturiesandtheabsenceofindustrial-typepresses.
²6Renanwroteofthesemonolithicelements:Kd’unaspectmonumental,dontlacampagneestparsemée”.Andfurther:KNous
avionsdéjarencontréprèsdeTripolidesmonumentsdecegenre;ilparaîtcependantquecetteformedepressoirsestparticulière-
mentchèreaupaysdeTyr.Ondiraitdesportesoupotencesgigantesques;cenesontpourtantpasdevraiesportes;łUnpressoir
yressembleàunarcdetriomphe”(1864:633);onpage635hementionedalsosimilarmonumentsontheroadfromTyreto
Cana:KLespierresenformedepotence(pressoirs)abondentł”.ForthepressesnearKabrHiram,AmritandScheptin,see
Renan1864:95,251,598.FortheSurveyofWesternPalestinesiteswithoilpressesnearTyre,seeConder,Kitchener1881/I:56.
²7Tchalenko1953–1958;earliervisitstotheregion,in1863bytheFrenchnoblemananddiplomatMelchiordeVogüé,andlater,
in1899–1900,bythePrincetonprofessorHowardCrosbyButlerwithateam,focusedontheruinsofchurchesandhouses,but
notontheremainsofthepressinstallations.BriefcommentsonthepressesaretobefoundindeVogüé1865–1877:127,Pl.113
(oilpressfromBehyo,asanexample)andButler1907–1920:268.
²8Tchalenko’sinterestintheoilinstallationsledtoasuperficialregistrationanddocumentationofpressesonselectedsites.His
descriptionwasbasedonsurvey,notonexcavations.Heneverundertookastatisticalapproachtothesubject,expressinginthe
wordsKCespressoirssontinnombrables”anultimateactofsurrenderinthefaceofthegreatnumberofinstallations.Pressin-
stallations:Tchalenko1953–1958/1:40–42;Bamuqqa,307(II:Pl.CXC.1);Qirqbizeh,340–341(II:PlsCXCIV.4,CXCV.3);
Behyoanditsvicinity,360–372(II:PlsCXVIII,CXIX,CXX,CCI);olivetreecultureintheLimestoneMassif,413–414.
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