Area A (Fig. 3)
Field Walls (F1–F8; max. length 50 m). Eight segments of field walls, preserved to a maximum height of seven courses, were unearthed. The walls were built directly on the bedrock, except for Field Wall F4, which was built on a layer of soil that accumulated over the bedrock. Three of the walls (F1–F3) were built of a single row of fieldstones, without bonding material. The other five walls (F4–F8) were constructed of two rows of large and medium-sized stones held together with soil and small stones.
 
Residential Building (F9; Fig. 4). The remains of a square, single-room structure (5 × 5 m) were unearthed; most of the structure was covered with a significant layer of collapse. Its walls were built of two rows of large, roughly dressed stones bonded together with small stones and bonding material. The walls were preserved to a maximum height of three courses. A shallow foundation layer composed mainly of small stones and bonding material was uncovered beneath the walls. The foundation was laid on a rock surface, most of which had been hewn level. The building’s entrance (1.6 m wide, 2.5 m high) was set in the west wall. Its floor was made of tamped earth and a mixture of cement and mortar (meda flooring; Kroyanker 1985:408). A two-mil coin issued under the British Mandate in 1942 was retrieved from the flooring material.
 
Agricultural Installation (F10; Fig. 5). About 6 m southeast of Building F9, a small square structure was discovered (2.0 × 2.5 m). Its walls were built of a single row of assorted fieldstones placed directly on a bedrock surface. The structure’s function is not known, but its proximity to Building F9 may show that it was used as a storeroom by the building’s residents.
 
Area B (Fig. 6)
Field Walls (F11–F13). Three segments of field walls were uncovered. They were founded directly on the bedrock and built of two rows of variously sized stones held together with soil and small stones. Field Wall F11 is curved and built mostly of medium-sized and small stones, which were preserved to a maximum height of six courses. At both ends, its continuation was covered with earth and numerous collapsed stones. Field Wall F12 comprised a corner formed by two walls, one (W1041) running in a northwest–southeast direction and the other (W1028) in a northeast–southwest direction; neither of them was preserved more than three courses high. A section of Field Wall F13 was examined at the southwest end of W1028 (over 60 m long); most of W1028 was not visible on the surface. Field Walls F12 and F13 may have delineated the same agricultural plot.
 
Agricultural Installation (F14; Fig. 7). The installation is circular (internal diam. 2.5–3.0 m), comprising a stone wall enclosing a rock surface that had not been leveled. The wall was built of stones of widely ranging dimensions, possibly as the result of repairs and additions made over the years. The function of the installation is not clear.
 
Area C (Fig. 8)
Field Walls and Quarry (F15–F17). Field Wall F15 was built on the bedrock and comprises a single row of large and medium-sized stones without any bonding material; it was preserved to a height of one course. Field Wall F16 was built of two rows of large and medium-sized stones held together with soil and small stones. Field Wall F17 included a corner formed by two walls built of two rows of stones of assorted sizes interspersed with small stones for reinforcement (Fig. 9); the walls were preserved to a height of up to nine courses. These walls were constructed over a small ancient quarry (L1062).
 
Area D (Fig. 10)
Residential Building (F18). Remains of a building (6.0 × 19.7 m) consisting of two rooms, southern and northern, separated by a wall (W1081; Figs. 11, 12) were unearthed. The building was almost entirely destroyed after the State of Israel’s establishment. The building’s walls were founded partly on a level bedrock surface and partly on a shallow foundation of earth and stones. They were constructed of two rows of dressed stones and plastered. The walls were preserved to a maximum height of three–four courses. Two entrances (L1077, L1084) set in the building’s west wall led to the two rooms; a threshold made of dressed stones was discovered in the entrance to the southern room. The building’s floor was made of tamped earth and a mixture of cement and mortar (meda flooring), like the floor of building F9 in Area A. In each of the rooms, the remain of a supporting pillar for an arch, which has since collapsed, were unearthed. In the northern room were the collapsed stones from the walls (L1080). The room’s floor was partially preserved; it bore evidence of three phases (L1085, L1088, L1089), probably representing repairs over the years. In the southern room, traces of the floor were preserved along the walls (L1092). The room’s southern wall (W1090) was built on a bedrock step. In the north of the room was a stone installation (L1093; Fig. 13) that contained ash—probably the remains of a tabun.
 
Area E (Fig. 14)
Field Walls and Installation (F19–F23). Five segments of field walls were uncovered. Field Wall F19 was built of two rows of medium-sized fieldstones interspersed with small stones for reinforcement; it was founded on a layer of soil that had accumulated over the bedrock. Field Wall F20 comprised of two walls that formed a corner; the walls were built of two rows of variously sized stones with no bonding material. A rounded wall built on the bedrock between the two walls closed off an installation (L1052). A layer of earth inside the installation yielded a large amount of ammunition from the Second World War; it is not clear what the installation was used for. Field Walls F21 and F22 are part of the same wall, which delineates a plot of land. Field wall F23 included a corner formed by two walls.
 
Installation (F24; Fig. 15). The installation comprises a wall built of variously sized fieldstones enclosing a rock surface that was hewn, making it somewhat level. The stones of the wall were placed partly on the rock surface and partly on the soil. A small opening was set in the southern part of the installation’s wall. No finds were retrieved from the installation, and its purpose remains unclear.
 
The Finds
Pottery. The excavation yielded potsherds dating from the Persian to the Ottoman periods. These included a bowl (Fig. 16:1) and jars (Fig. 16:2, 3) from the Persian period; jars (Fig. 16:4–6) and an oil lamp (Fig. 16:7) from the Hellenistic period; Roman-period jars (Fig. 16:8, 9); Byzantine-period bowls (Fig. 16:10, 11); as well as from the fids from the Ottoman period—jugs (Fig. 16:12, 13) jars (Fig. 16:14, 15) and a tobacco pipe (Fig. 16:16), which was found on the surface. 
 
Small Finds. Most of the small finds were retrieved from the collapsed building and from the surface. They consist of jewelry, including earrings and a ring (Fig. 17:1–3); a large amount of ;relatively modern ammunition, including musket balls (Fig. 17:4); small glass bottles (Fig. 17:5); the lid of a pocket watch stamped with a picture of a railway engine (Fig. 17:6), which probably postdates 1892—the year when the Jaffa–Jerusalem railway line was inaugurated; and other items, such as a horseshoe fragment, a can opener, a nail and a button (Fig. 18).
 
Coins
Gabriela Bijovsky
 
The surface finds from the excavation included 108 coins; of these, 36 were could not be identified, and 11 are modern. The remaining 61 coins (Table 1) date from the Hellenistic to the Mamluk periods.
 
Table 1. The coins from the excavation
Description
IAA No.
Quantity
Seleucid, bronze
162733, 162743, 162753
3
Hasmonean, John Hyrcanus I
162713, 162721 ,162728, 162747 (Fig. 19:1)
4
Hasmonean, Alexander Jannaeus
162702-162705, 162708-162710, 162715, 162718-162720, 162727, 162732, 162736, 162737, 162746, 162748, 162749, 162751, 162757, 162759, 162760, 162762
23
Hasmonean dynasty
162712, 162729, 162730, 162739-162741, 162756
7
Herod
162711
1
Herod Archelaus
162707
1
Procurator under Augustus
162701, 162725, 162731 (Fig. 19:2), 162738
4
Procurator under Tiberius (Valerius Gratus?)
162752
1
Procurator under Tiberius (Pilate)
162723 (Fig. 19:3)
1
Agrippa I, Jerusalem
162745, 162761
2
Procurator under Nero (Festus)
162716 (Fig. 19:4), 162735
2
Nero, Antioch
162726 (Fig. 19:5)
1
Autonomous, Ashqelon
162744 (Fig. 19:6), 162750
2
Constantine I, 335-337 CE, GLORIA EXERCITVS
162758
1
Constantine II, 351-361 CE, FEL TEMP REPARATIO
162714
1
Constantine II, 355-361 CE, SPES REIPVBLICE
162755
1
Valens, 364-375 CE, SECVRITAS REIPVBLICAE
162717
1
VOTA type, 378-383 CE
162724
1
Theodosius I, 383-395 CE
162722
1
Fourth century CE
162742
1
Byzanto-Arab 1, 647-670 CE
162754 (Fig. 19:7)
1
Mamluk, fals
162706
1