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Hundreds of alcohol bottles from WWI discovered

The Israel Antiques Authority has unearthed hundreds of bottles of alcohol in Israel, including Gordon’s gin and Dewar’s whisky, which were consumed by British soldiers during World War One.

A 100-year-old bottle of Gordon’s gin was found in an archaeological excavation in Ramla

The discovery was made in an archaeological excavation in the fields of Kibbutz Netzer Sereni, in the city of Ramla, where the soldiers were based during the war in 1917.

The findings also included bottles of soft drink, broken cutlery, wine glasses and a engraved bottle stopper. Around 70% of the waste discarded in the refuse pit were liquor bottles, including wine, beer and spirits.

“The discovery of this site and the finds in it provide us with an opportunity for a glimpse of the unwritten part of history, and reconstruct for the first time the everyday life and leisure of the soldiers,”said Ron Toueg, excavation director on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

“It seems that the soldiers took advantage of the respite given to them to release the tension by frequently drinking alcohol.”

Brigitte Ouahnouna, a researcher in the glass department of the Israel Antiquities Authority, said: “This is the first time in the history of archeology in Israel in which an assemblage of hundreds of glass bottles from a British army camp from World War I was uncovered.

“Interestingly, the glass bottles, which contained mainly wine, beer, soda and alcoholic beverages such as gin, liqueur and whiskey, came from Europe to supply soldiers and officers in the camp. It is a fascinating testimony of the everyday life of the British military camp a century ago.”

Check out Israel Antiques Authority’s video below. 

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