Iron Age olive oil center in Beit Aryeh shows Israelite kingdom’s economic power in Samaria

A study published in the Israel Antiquities Authority's latest volume found that olive oil production was a key economic engine for the ancient Kingdom of Israel.

A fortified Iron Age royal olive oil production center unearthed in Beit Aryeh proved that olive oil was an economic powerhouse for the ancient kingdom of Israel.

An August volume published by the Israel Antiquities Authority, dedicated to ancient industry, production, and crafts, delved into the economic engines of the southern Levant.

Researcher David Eitam compared an olive oil processing facility found in modern-day Beit Aryeh to nearby similar facilities in Qla‘, Khirbat Deir Daqla, and Kurnet Bir et-Tell.

He found that the four sites were controlled by the ancient Kingdom of Israel and contributed significantly to economic activity in the region in the eighth century BCE.

Based on survey results from 1980, reassessments from the site’s excavation report, and recent aerial photographs, Eitam found that the four olive oil production sites were “part of a significant project by the Kingdom of Israel” for erecting settlements in southern Samaria, in the West Bank.

Olive oil presses points to royal settlements

Eitam discovered the site in 1979-1980; it was later excavated. He believes that four sites were likely built in the ninth century BCE to strengthen the kingdom’s economy by exporting olive oil.

While there is no direct evidence that the four sites were under royal control, the fact that they were heavily fortified and well-planned points to control by a central authority.

Most rural homes and businesses in ancient Samaria were not as well planned out or fortified, the study pointed out.

Additionally, the site’s planning resembles that of ancient Israelite cities.

The press in modern-day Beit Aryeh, then called Khirbat Khudash, generated as much as 11,340 liters of olive oil a year, Eitam estimated, based on the three or four storerooms excavated.

The researcher estimated that the Khirbat Khudash site was likely abandoned during the Assyrian invasion in 721 BCE.

Based on the fortifications and the storerooms, Eitam believes that the site points to the economic significance of olive oil in the Kingdom of Israel.