In June 2005 a salvage excavation was conducted at Biq‘at Yaval (Permit No. A-4513, map ref. NIG 18960/58690; OIG 13960/08690; Fig. 1), following the discovery of ancient remains along the route of the separation fence. The excavation, on behalf of the Antiquities Authority and with the financial support of the Ministry of Defense, was directed by E. Aladjem and N.S. Paran, with assistance from A. Hajian (surveying).
Two dams, located c. 25 m apart, were excavated in a tributary of Na
hal Yaval (cf.
HA-ESI 120). The eastern dam (L10; Fig. 2) consisted of two fieldstone-built walls. The first (W3; 1.0 × 1.0 × 0.5 m), which was oriented along a north-south axis, was built perpendicular to the southern bank of the stream while the second (W2; 1.0 × 2.5 × 0.8 m), aligned in a northeast-southwest direction, was built parallel to the stream’s bank. The western dam (L11; Fig. 3) was located on the northern bank of the stream and it too consisted of two walls. The first (W5; 1.2 × 6.0 × 0.6 m) was oriented in a north–south direction and was built of small and large fieldstones; its continuation (W4), whose remains were found to the south of it, was destroyed by the flow of water in the stream. The second wall (W1; 1.5 × 3.0 × 0.3 m) was perpendicular to Wall 5 and was built of small stones.
The two dams were part of a system that was meant to divert the flow of the stream to a cultivated plot.