In December 2018, a salvage excavation was carried out in Yehud, south of Road 461 (Permit No. A-8391; map ref. 189380–400/659300–20), following damage to antiquities during infrastructure work for a sewage line. The excavation, on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority and financed by the Mei Ono Water Corporation, was directed by G. Itach, with the assistance of Y. Amrani and E. Bachar (administration), A. Peretz (photography), V. Essman and M. Kahan (surveying and drafting), A. Dagot (GPS), Y. Agmon (graphics), M. Shuiskaya (pottery drawing), I. Milevski (stone tools), M. Oron (flint items), T. Shadiel (archaeozoology), E.C.M. van den Brink (scientific consultant) and P. Gendelman (adviser), as well as A. ‘Azab and D. Ben-Ami.
Over the past 25 years, numerous excavations were carried out in Yehud, revealing occupation levels, shafts and pits from the Chalcolithic period, hundreds of tombs, mostly from the Intermediate, Middle and Late Bronze Age, as well as structures and industrial installations dated from the Roman through the Ottoman periods (Jakoel and van den Brink 2014 [Fig. 1: A-6526]; Itach 2016 [Fig. 1: A-7464]; Jakoel and Be’eri 2016 [Fig. 1: A-7166]; Itach, Golan and Zwiebel 2017 [Fig. 1: A-7804]; Jakoel, Ackermann and Elisha 2018 [Fig. 1: A-7975]; Govrin 2015 [Fig. 1: B-337/2009, B-327/2008]). However, the ancient site of Yehud extended south of the city’s built area, to the south of Road 461. In 1997, an excavation in this area uncovered meager remains from the Middle Bronze Age IIA and from the Persian period and a pottery kiln from the Byzantine period, as well as a few pottery sherds from the Chalcolithic period and the Intermediate Bronze and Iron II Ages (van den Brink et al. 2014 [Fig. 1: A-2634]).
The current excavation was also carried out south of Road 461, c. 600 m west of the 1997 excavation and c. 300 m north of Nahal Yehud. A deep trench, created by mechanical equipment during infrastructure work, was documented. In addition, two excavation squares were opened c. 2 m north of the trench, revealing an occupation level from the late Chalcolithic period (the Ghassulian culture) with numerous finds.
The trench (depth 5 m; Figs. 2, 3). An examination of the trench’s section revealed five main strata of soil (1–5); only one stratum (2) contained archaeological remains. Stratum 1 (thickness c. 1 m), the uppermost stratum, consisted of dark brown clay. Stratum 2 (thickness 0.5–1.0 m) consisted of light brown soil mixed with numerous pottery sherds from the Late Chalcolithic period, flint tools and animal bones. Stratum 3 (max. thickness 1.5 m) included light brown-yellowish hamra soil, into which a shaft-like feature (width 0.5 m, depth c. 3.1 m) had been dug; this may be an intrusion from Stratum 2, as a few pottery fragments from the Chalcolithic period were found in the shaft. Stratum 4 (thickness c. 1 m) consisted of another level of light brown clay. Stratum 5 (max. thickness 0.8 m), the lowest of the strata, included light brown-yellowish hamra, like Stratum 3.
Excavation squares (D4 and E4; Figs. 4, 5). Two squares were excavated to a maximum depth of 1.5 m below the surface. An occupation level was revealed in the southern part of the squares—a layer of clay (L103–L106; Fig. 6) mixed with pottery sherds, stone tools and flint items dated to the Late Chalcolithic period, as well as a fauna assemblage (Shadiel, below). On the surface (L100–L102) was an accumulation of clay mixed with Chalcolithic-period pottery sherds and a small quantity of finds from later periods.
The Chalcolithic-period pottery assemblage numbered 94 indicative fragments, including 21 rims. These included V-shaped bowls (Fig. 7:1, 2); a bowl with a thickened rim (Fig. 7:3); two Incense-burners (Fig. 7:4, 5); a cornet (Fig. 7:6); kraters of various types (Fig. 7:7–9), one of which is large and decorated with a rope design below the rim (Fig. 7:9); a holemouth jar (Fig. 7:10); other jars, including one with a flaring rim (Fig. 7:11), a pinched handle (Fig. 7:12) and a perforated lug handle (Fig. 7:13); and churns (Fig. 7:14, 15), which are particularly typical of the Late Chalcolithic period.
The stone-tool assemblage included three river pebbles bearing signs of use, two rims of basalt bowls (Fig. 8:1, 2)—one of which (Fig. 8:1) was found in modern debris south of the excavation area and is decorated on the interior with a geometric pattern—and a decorated pedestal of a basalt fenestrated pedestal bowl (Fig. 8:3).
A total of 27 flint items were found in the excavation. They are particularly well-preserved, and most are made of brown-gray flint, which in some specimens is transparent, apparently of the Mishash formation. Most of the assemblage is made up of debitage: flakes, blades and a bladelet made of transparent flint, typical of the Ghassulian bladelet industry. The assemblage also includes five cores and five tools. All the cores are for the result of flake production; they were apparently part of an ad hoc flake industry. The tools included retouched and denticulated flakes and a burin. No indicative or formal tools typical of a specific culture or period were found, although the makeup of the assemblage conforms with what we know of flint assemblages from the Chalcolithic period.
Archaeozoology
Tehila Shadiel
Eighteen animal bone fragments were found in the excavation (Table 1); among those identified was one sheep/goat (Capra/Ovis), one cattle bone (Bos tarus) and one gazelle bone (Gazella gazelle). The 15 other bone fragments were not identified to the level of species, but the medium body size indicates that most apparently were either sheep or goats. The breakdown of skeletal parts in the assemblage (Table 2; Stiner 2002) shows that most of the bone fragments belonged to long bones. The age of the cattle and of the gazelle was determined by tooth attrition: the cattle was an adult, whereas the gazelle was young (1–2 years of age; Grant 1982). The rest of the bones were not diagnostic, and therefore the age of the rest of the animals in the assemblage is unknown. No signs of predation, cutting or burning were observed on the bones.
Table 1. Breakdown of bones by species and locus
Species
|
L102
|
L103
|
L106
|
Total
|
Sheep/goat
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
1 (5.5%)
|
Cattle
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
1 (5.5%)
|
Gazelle
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
1 (5.5%)
|
Mediums-size animals
|
1
|
8
|
6
|
15 (83%)
|
Total
|
1 (5.5%)
|
10 (55.5%)
|
7 (39%)
|
18 (~100%)
|
Table 2. Breakdown of skeletal parts by species
Skeletal part
|
Cattle
|
Sheep/goat
|
Gazelle
|
Medium-size animals
|
Total
|
Head
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
5
|
Limb bones
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
8
|
8
|
Ribs
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
5
|
5
|
Total
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
15
|
18
|
The finds retrieved from the excavation indicate human activity at the site during the Late Chalcolithic period (the Ghassulian culture). These finds are associated with the Chalcolithic-period site whose remains have been uncovered in recent years in the city of Yehud (Itach et al. 2019:191–193). Considering the location of the finds from the current excavation, the Chalcolithic-period site extended farther to the southwest. This excavation corroborates other excavations, some from recent years, which show significant activity during the Chalcolithic period along the Nahal Ayalon basin (Itach 2018: Fig. 1).
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