During October 2012, a salvage excavation was conducted at Khirbat Abu Fureij next to the Zippor Compound in Modi‘in (Permit No. A-6620; map ref. 20116–27/64691–707), prior to development. The excavation, undertaken on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority and underwritten by the Modi‘in municipality, was directed by A.S. Tendler, with the assistance of Y. Amrani and E. Bachar (administration), A. Hajian (surveying), A. Peretz (field photography) and R. Assis (preliminary inspections).
The excavated area is located on a rocky hill, on the northwestern fringes of Khirbat Abu Fureij (Fig. 1). Various antiquities were documented and excavated in previous surveys and excavations, including stone clearance heaps, farming terraces, dams, field walls, cupmarks, watchman’s huts, road sections, limekilns, fences, winepresses and a cistern. At most of the sites the activity was dated to the Early Roman period (first century BCE–first century CE) and at some to the Byzantine period (
HA-ESI 123).
Three field walls and a stone heap were excavated, indicating that farming was practiced in the region in antiquity.
A terrace wall (W1; exposed length 22 m, preserved height 0.9 m; Figs. 2, 3) that enclosed a farming terrace from the south and west was discerned on the southern slope of the hill. The wall was built of large fieldstones placed on the high bedrock.
At the top of the hill was a wall (W2; exposed length 12 m, preserved height 0.65 m; Figs. 4, 5) that extended to the northern slope. The wall was built of different size fieldstones and the high bedrock was incorporated within it. The wall might have served to demarcate cultivation plots.
A wall (W3, exposed length 6 m, preserved height 0.5 m; Figs. 6, 7) that delimited a farming terrace was in the southern part of area.
The stone clearance heap (L102; height c. 0.6 m; Figs. 8, 9) was surrounded by large fieldstones and roughly hewn stones. A probe was excavated in the center of the heap down to the bedrock, upon which the stones were piled.
No finds that can date the remains were discovered.