The new project at the site was initiated to test a large area at the northwestern part of the site, where the modern fish pond No. 11 is located (Fig. 1). A surface of 3000 sq m was mechanically cleaned. Within this area, one sector of 76 sq m was excavated (Sector E; Fig.2) and three long trenches (1, 2 and 3) were opened beyond the excavation area proper.

 

The excavation in Sector E revealed four levels:
Level 0 (thickness 10–30 cm) comprised dark brown loose sediment very rich in archaeological finds. This level was shallow in the southwestern part of the sector and deepened toward the northeastern side.
Level I (thickness 5–20 cm) consisted of brown grayish sediment, rich in finds, which contained the upper-most stone structures.
Level Ia (thickness 10–30 cm) contained fine-grained brown grayish sediment, relatively poor in finds, which yielded several architectural elements, such as segments of walls and a patch of compact earth floor.
Level Ib was uncovered in some areas toward the end of the excavation season. This fine-grained sediment, similar to the one in Layer Ia, was very compact and rich in charcoal and ochre specks. It seems that this level was spread out over all of the excavation area.

 

Several architectural features were recovered in sector E (Fig. 3); three were attributed to Level I. The first is a stone wall (W200; exposed length 5.3 m), oriented northwest–southeast. It was constructed from two parallel rows of stones and preserved 20 cm high. This wall seems to be part of a large structure that was partially exposed this season. The second feature, adjacent to W200, is an oval structure (L201), built of two–three rows of stones. The third (L206) is an oval pit that had cut through level Ia, destroying part of Floor 208. 
Five elements were, so far, exposed from the earlier occupation level (Ia), three were segments of walls. Wall 202 (preserved length 2.4 m), was constructed from stones and mud bricks. Wall 207 was perpendicular to W202. The surface between these walls was a hard calcified white material platform (thickness 20 cm) that could be the remains of a poorly preserved plaster floor (L205). Another feature was a well-defined stony area (L208) that contained numerous flint and bone items. It could have been a living floor associated with one of the structures that was partially exposed.
The remarkable material culture included a rich flint assemblage, dominated by sickle blades, arrowheads and other Naviform products (Fig. 4). The majority of the faunal remains consisted of what has tentatively been identified as wild species, namely Bos cf. primigenius, Sus scrofa fer and Gazella gazella. The caprine (Ovis/Capra) remains, in contrast, comprised a minority of the identified finds.