Olive Grinder and Press

View of a typical olive grinder (left) and press (right).  Both are made out of local basalt stone.  After the olives were harvested in the fall of the year, the olives were brought to such a grinder (on the left).  The olives were placed inside the depression of the large lower stone and then the wheel-shaped upper stone was rotated over them as one or two persons pushed on the large wooden beam that was placed through the hole in the stone.  The wheel-shaped stone turned and rotated around over the olives inside the large fixed lower basin.

After the crushing, the olives were placed in baskets that were placed on the flat surface on the right.  Then pressure was applied to the baskets to squeeze out the olive oil.  The oil dripped into the circle depression and then drained into the depression from which it was collected.  Then it was stored and used for cooking, lighting, cleansing, anointing, etc.

To see a similar olive grinder from Katzrin Click Here.

For a map and a brief description of Capernaum Click Here.