An excavation of the Antiquities Authority in Yavneh revealed, for the first time, the remains of a building dating to the days of the Sanhedrin, in which limestone cups were discovered, indicating a Jewish presence and the observance of the laws of impurity and purity at the site.
The excavation, which is being conducted before the expansion of the city, at the initiative of the Israel Land Authority and in cooperation with the Yavne Municipality, also revealed a large-scale cemetery from those days. Near this excavation site, a huge wine production plant from the Byzantine period was recently unveiled.