Betar ‘Illit (West)

Yuval Peleg and Yaron Feller

31/05/2004

During June–July 1998 a salvage excavation was conducted west of Betar ‘Illit (L-809; map ref. NIG 211/623; OIG 161/123), prior to expanding the settlement. The excavation, on behalf of the Archaeological Staff Officer of Judea and Samaria, was directed by Y. Feller, assisted by M. Kahan (surveying and drafting) and S. Ammami (photography).

Thirteen field towers located on a north–south ridge were excavated in an area of c. 30 dunam (Table 1). Ceramic finds dating to Iron Age II and the Early Roman period were discovered in the towers and it seems that the agricultural areas in the vicinity of the towers were cultivated intensively during these periods. Pottery fragments from Iron Age II and the Hellenistic and Early Roman periods were collected in a preliminary survey conducted in the area prior to the excavation.

Tower No.	Map Ref. (NIG; OIG)	Dimensions	Construction	Floor	Finds	Remarks
1 (Fig. 1)	21030/62320; 16030/12320	4.7 × 6.2 m, preserved height 1.4 m (4 courses)	Large roughly hewn fieldstones; northwestern wall was not preserved	Plaster remains on bedrock	Pottery fragments from the end of the Hellenistic and Early Roman periods (1st century BCE)
2 (Fig. 2)	21028/62320; 16028/12320	3.05 × 4.80 m, preserved height 0.5 m (1 course)	Roughly hewn medium and large fieldstones	Bedrock surface; hewn pit on its western side (0.7 × 1.6 m, depth 0.73 m)	Base of a stone measuring cup from the Early Roman period	Located c. 20 m west of Tower 1
3 (Fig. 3)	21020/62370; 16120/12370	Diam. 3.7 m, preserved height 1.12 m (2 courses)	Roughly hewn medium and large fieldstones	Bedrock surface	Pottery fragments from Iron Age II
4 (Fig. 4)	21020/62368; 16120/ 12368	6.3 × 7.8 m, preserved height 1.2 m (up to 4 courses)	Roughly hewn medium and large fieldstones	Plaster remains noted on bedrock		Tower has two rooms; it is located c. 20 m south of Tower 3
5 (Fig 5)	21120/62375; 16120/12375	2.5 × 2.5 m, preserved height 1.3 m (3 courses)	Roughly hewn medium and large fieldstones	Beaten earth deposited on bedrock	Pottery fragments from Iron Age II	Animal pen built of small and medium- sized fieldstones and preserved 5 courses high (1.1 m) was adjacent to the northern side of tower; a wall (length 8.6 m) of roughly hewn fieldstones, preserved 1 course high (0.4 m) abutted the tower’s southern corner.
6 (Fig. 6)	21130/62371; 16130/12371	3.15 × 3.90 m, preserved height 1.2 m (3 courses)	Roughly hewn medium and large fieldstones; the entrance was probably in the northeastern wall. Three narrow windows (0.3–0.6 × 0.4 m) were in the southwestern wall.	Beaten earth deposited on bedrock	Pottery fragments from Iron Age II and the Early Roman period	A rock-cut winepress southeast of the tower. It was partially enclosed with stone walls and consisted of a square treading surface (3.1 × 3.2 m) with plaster remains, an oval settling pit (0.4 × 0.8 m, depth 0.36 m) and a collecting vat (diam. 1.2 m, depth 1.4 m) to the south; two fieldstone walls that may have been part of an animal pen, which did not survive abutted the northern side of the tower.
7(Fig. 7)	21100/62340; 16100/12340	3.05 × 3.20 m, preserved height 1.35 m (4 courses)	Roughly hewn medium and large fieldstones; a narrow window (0.4 × 0.5 m) in the eastern wall	Beaten earth deposited on bedrock	Pottery fragments from Iron Age II and the Early Roman period	A rock-cut winepress to the east of the tower. It consisted of a square treading surface (2.5 × 3.1 m), mostly enclosed with stone walls and a collecting vat (diam. 1.4 m, depth 1.26 m) enclosed on the west with a stone wall

8 (Fig. 8)	21140/62360; 16140/12360	3.3 ×3.6 m, preserved height 1.5 m (5 courses)	Roughly hewn medium and large fieldstones	Beaten earth deposited on bedrock	Pottery fragments from Iron Age II and the Early Roman period	A courtyard (2.15 × 3.80 m) was adjacent to western side of tower; it was enclosed with a wall of small and medium-sized fieldstones and preserved 3 courses high (0.55 m); an entrance was in its southern side
9 (Fig. 9)	21135/62358; 16135/12358	1.9 × 3.4 m, preserved height 1.1 m (3 courses)	Roughly hewn medium and large fieldstones; only the western part was preserved	Beaten earth deposited on bedrock	Pottery fragments from Iron Age II and the Early Roman period	A rock-cut winepress was adjacent to the south of the tower; it consisted of a square plastered treading surface (3.0 × 3.2 m) mostly enclosed with stone walls and 2 collecting vats (0.8 × 1.2 m, depth 1.4 m; diam. 1.4 m, depth 1.3 m) surrounded by stone walls; a channel led from the treading surface to the southern collecting vat
10 (Fig. 10)	21100/62345; 16100/12345	Diam. 3.8 m, preserved height 1.65 m (4 courses)	Large roughly hewn fieldstones	Bedrock surface	Pottery fragments from Iron Age II
11	21160/62365; 16160/12365	3.3 × 5.5 m, preserved height 0.8 m (3 courses)	Roughly hewn medium-sized fieldstones; only the eastern and western walls were preserved	Bedrock surface	Pottery fragments from Iron Age II and the Early Roman period
12	21173/62374; 16173/12374	Diam. 3.6 m, preserved height 0.6 m (2 courses)	Small and medium fieldstones; tower only partially preserved	Bedrock surface	Pottery fragments from Iron Age II
13	21155/62380; 16155/12380	3.55 × 6.75 m, preserved height 0.75 m (2 courses)	Small and medium fieldstones	Bedrock surface	Fragments of pottery vessels from Iron Age II	Only eastern part of tower, which probably had two rooms, was excavated