An ancient Roman bathhouse in Turkey was turned into a large wine and olive oil production center, new research shows.
The Small Bath complex located outside the Main Gate of Antiochia ad Cragum. Credit: L. Rodriguez, from Dodd, E., & Rodriguez, L. R., Journal of Roman Archaeology (2026)
The facility was built inside the Small Bath at Antiochia ad Cragum, an ancient city on the southern coast of modern Turkey. Researchers found stone presses, an olive mill, channels, and large vats built into the old bathhouse.
The original bath dates to the late 2nd or early 3rd century CE. Its rooms had marble decoration, painted walls, and detailed mosaics. At some point during Late Roman times, people stopped using the building for bathing and rebuilt much of the northern half for farm production.
The new study, published in the Journal of Roman Archaeology, describes the site as the largest agricultural processing installation found so far at Antiochia ad Cragum.
Room 3 with a branching channel leading into large and small vats. The larger vat is accessed by a set of stairs. Imprints from veneer tiling are visible at the base of the large vat. Credit: L. Rodriguez, from Dodd, E., & Rodriguez, L. R., Journal of Roman Archaeology (2026)
The changes were extensive. Workers built a new wall across the main hall and installed a rotary trapetum mill on one side. This type of mill was mainly used to crush olives before oil extraction.
On the other side, they placed a large stone press bed beneath an opening in the new wall. A large reused marble block nearby served as a counterweight for a lever and screw press.
The press bed measures about 1.28 by 1.03 meters. Five channels carved into its surface helped carry liquid away after pressing. The counterweight stood lower than the press bed, so workers cut through the bath’s earlier mosaic floor to install it.
The researchers also found evidence for grape processing in two former bath rooms. A channel cut through the wall between the rooms carried liquid into two vats in the next room.
Rotary trapetum millstone (a) and base (b) used for crushing olives, found in the eastern Hall. Credit: E. Dodd, from Dodd, E., & Rodriguez, L. R., Journal of Roman Archaeology (2026)
One large vat had originally formed part of a cold room, perhaps as a plunge pool. Workers kept its steps but covered the interior with a waterproof coating. The large vat held about 2,900 liters, a capacity far greater than another known winery vat at Antiochia.
Room 2 had a large mosaic floor with heavy wear near the channel. The researchers suggest people may have crushed or trodden grapes there before sending the liquid into the vats.
The layout fits wine production seen at other sites in the eastern Mediterranean. The large and small vats could have collected different amounts or grades of grape juice.
The evidence also points strongly toward olive oil production. The trapetum’s presence provides a clear link to olive crushing, while the press could have processed olives or grapes.
Researchers say the press itself doesn’t prove which crop was processed. Similar presses were used for both wine and olive oil, and the facility might have handled both products at different times.
The two crops followed different harvest seasons, making shared use practical. Olive processing took place during the colder months, while grape harvest and wine production happened at another time of year.
The bathhouse also offered useful features for agricultural work. A nearby cistern supplied water, while its roofed rooms provided shade and helped control temperatures.
Marble counterweight with a dovetail mortise and central socket, used in a lever-and-screw press system and reused as an architectural block. Shown in situ within a large cut through the bath’s earlier mosaic floor, allowing the counterweight to sit below ground level and exert greater force. Credit: E. Dodd, from Dodd, E., & Rodriguez, L. R., Journal of Roman Archaeology (2026)
The building’s earlier design may have made reuse easier. Workers adapted existing rooms, floors, walls, and water systems instead of building a new production center elsewhere.
The researchers place the agricultural phase broadly between the 4th and 7th centuries CE. The facility was built after the bath’s original Imperial use and had gone out of use by the 6th or 7th century.
The large vat’s size points to substantial production, although the researchers warn against assigning a precise output figure. Archaeological evidence rarely provides enough information for reliable estimates of ancient farm yields.
The new evidence also changes the picture of agriculture at Antiochia. Wine production was already well known from the city’s amphora trade, but olive oil production had been less visible.
At least six other millstones or mill basins have been found across the site. Together with the Small Bath facility, they point to a wider network of olive oil processing.
The findings suggest agricultural production formed an important part of Late Roman Antiochia’s economy. The old bathhouse was no longer a place for bathing. Its rooms, water systems, and stone structures had become part of a new production center for wine and olive oil.
Publication: Dodd, E., & Rodriguez, L. R. (2026). Bathing in wine and olive oil: Late Roman agricultural production in the Small Bath at Antiochia ad Cragum, Rough Cilicia. Journal of Roman Archaeology, 1–32. doi:10.1017/s1047759426100890
Dining and Cooking