thick, sweet syrup, referred to in the Bible as dvash (honey). Grapes, figs, dates, and apricots were also dried and preserved individually, put on a string, or pressed into cakes. Since dried fruit is an efficient source of energy, such were prepared as provisions for journeys and long marches. Olives and olive oil The olive is one of the biblical Seven Species and one of the three elements of the "Mediterranean triad" in Israelite cuisine. Olive oil was used not only as food and for cooking, but also for lighting, sacrificial offerings, ointment, and anointment for priestly or royal office. The olive tree was well suited to the climate and soil of the Israelite highlands, and a significant part of the hill country was allocated to the cultivation of olive trees, which were one of ancient Israel’s most important natural resources. Olive oil was more versatile and longer-lasting than the oil from other plants, such as sesame, and was also considered to be the best-tasting. Although olives were used to produce oil from the Bronze Age, it was only by the Roman period that the techniques were introduced to cure olives in lye and then brine to remove their natural bitterness and make them edible. Olives were harvested in the late summer and were processed for oil by crushing them, pressing the mash, and separating the oil from the flesh. In the early Iron Age period, this was done by treading the olives in basins cut into rock, or with a mortar or stone on a flat slab. In the later Iron Age period, the introduction of the beam press made large scale processing possible. The discovery of many ancient olive presses in various locations indicates that olive-oil production was highly developed in ancient Israel. The oil production center dating from the 7th century BC discovered at Ekron, a Philistine city, has over one hundred large olive presses and is the most complete olive oil production center from ancient times yet discovered. It indicates that ancient Israel was a major producer of olive oil for its residents and other parts of the ancient Near East, such as Egypt, and especially Mesopotamia. In addition to the large-scale olive oil production for commerce and export, presses have been found in ordinary houses, indicating that this was also a cottage industry. Archaeological remains at Masada and other sites indicate that the most common