Ancient Fish Sauce (Garum) production site excavated in Ashkelon

Canaanite fortification and gate of
Ashkelon
© 2017 David E. Graves

In my book on Archaeology of the New Testament I mention that "The products brought to Masada under the name of King Herod included luxury items such as apples, specialty Italian wines, and a select fish sauce identified as garum.[1]"[2]

A small factory for the production of garum, an odorous fermented fish sauce, has recently been reported discovered near (2 miles) Ashkelon. It was located outside the city due to the smell.[3] Laden reports:

This is one of very few such finds in the eastern Mediterranean. It serves to confirm that the ancient Jewish diet was strongly influenced by the diet of the Romans who conquered them.[4]

 Whether influenced by the Roman it was clear that ancient people enjoyed their fish sauce (garum Pliny Natural History 31.44). Here is a recipe.

The debate is over whether there was a kosher garum used by the Jews and different for the Romans. However, it was found throughout the Mediterranean. [5]

Footnotes 

[1] Hannah Cotton, Omri Lernau and Yuval Goren, “Fish Sauces from Herodian Masada,” Journal of Roman Archaeology 9 (1996), 223-238 [esp. 233); Berdowski, Piotr. “Garum of Herod The Great (Latin-Greek Inscription on the Amphora From Masada).” Analecta Archaeologica Ressoviensia 1 (2006): 239–57. Berdowski, Piotr.“Garum of Herod The Great (Latin-Greek Inscription on the Amphora From Masada),” The Qumran Chronicle 16, no. 3–4 (December 2008): 107–22. See also Jonathan C. Edmondson, , ed. Two Industries in Roman Lusitania: Mining and Garum Production (Oxford: British Archaeological Reports, 1987).
[2] David E. Graves, The Archaeology of the New Testament: 75 Discoveries That Support the Reliability of the Bible (Moncton, NB: ECM, 2019), 63-64.
[3] Jonathan Laden, "Ancient Roman Garum Factory Discovered at Ashkelon: A rare find of a first century fermented fish sauce factory holds clues to the ancient Jewish diet." Biblical Archaeology Society, December 18, 2019.
[4] ibid.
[5] Biblical Archaeology Society Staff "The Garum Debate: Was There a Kosher Roman Delicacy at Pompeii?" BAR January 25, 2012