During May 2005, an excavation was conducted in the Yattir Forest (Permit No. A-4512*; map ref. NIG 1993/5846, OIG 1493/0846), prior to the construction of the separation fence. The excavation, carried out on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority and funded by the Ministry of Defense, was directed by M. Haiman (photography), with the assistance of A. Freiberg (area supervision) and A. Hajian (surveying and drafting).
The excavation was undertaken where a farming terrace (W1) joined an enclosure wall of a cultivation plot (Figs. 1–3). Wall 1 was built of different size stones (max. length 0.2–0.7 m) and stood 0.4 m high. The farming terrace was c. 0.8 m wide and the soil in the terrace was c. 0.4 m deep. The wall enclosing the cultivation plot was built of large stones (max. length 1 m) that were placed on bedrock.