At the edge of Lake Küçükçekmece, in the ancient harbor city of Bathonea, archaeologists have uncovered an olive oil and wine workshop that once pulsed with the rhythm of ancient production and ritual.

The discovery, part of Türkiye’s Heritage for the Future Project, took place in Bathonea, the lost harbor city of ancient Thrace that has slowly emerged from the soil since 2009.

This year’s excavation revealed a stone spout carved in the form of a lion’s head, channeling liquid into a circular fermentation pool. The find, according to Prof. Dr. Şengül Aydıngün of Kocaeli University, represents both artistic mastery and industrial sophistication from Late Antiquity.

“It’s a smaller, more refined structure,” Aydıngün explains. “The lion-headed spout directed the liquid into a fermentation pool. It’s where craftsmanship meets ancient engineering.”

Around the installation lie the unmistakable traces of production: pressing floors, collection basins, and amphorae, some possibly marked with origins or harvest years. Glass cups found in the same context hint at tasting or ritual consumption, while animal bones buried within the pool suggest ceremonial offerings.

The Taste of Divinity

Wine, born in Anatolia around 8,000 years ago, traveled through Mesopotamia and the Aegean to shape the culture of the Mediterranean world. Once reserved for gods, kings, and priests, it became an emblem of both ritual and medicine in the Hellenistic and Roman periods.

Bathonea now stands as a vivid reminder that ancient Istanbul was not only a port of trade but also a site of devotion, craftsmanship, and flavor.

“One of Bathonea’s greatest surprises this year,” says Aydıngün, “is how this olive oil and wine complex keeps expanding with every trench we open.”