During January 2004 a trial excavation was conducted along the western fringes of Horbat Tittora (Permit No. A-4071*; map ref. NIG 20055–75/64540–60; OIG 15055–75/14540–60), prior to developing the bypass road around Modi‘in’s central railroad station. The excavation, carried out on behalf of the Antiquities Authority and financed by the Shafir Civil and Marine Engineering Company Ltd., was directed by I. Korenfeld, with the assistance of A. Hajian (surveying) and T. Sagiv (photography).
The excavation was undertaken in the wake of a preliminary survey across an area of c. 2 dunams. A watchman’s booth and a field wall were excavated; a field tower, four stone-clearance heaps, three farming terraces and two small cupmarks were documented. No datable finds were discovered at the site. The remains indicate that this was an ancient agricultural area, similar to many recorded in the vicinity of Modi‘in.
The watchman’s booth (L100; Fig. 1) was located in the southeast part of the site. A probe was excavated in the southeastern section of the booth (diam. 3.5 m), which was built of medium-sized fieldstones, set directly on bedrock and preserved a single course high. A fill layer of small stones and hamra soil was excavated inside the booth.
The field wall (W101; exposed length c. 30 m, width c. 1.1 m; Fig. 2), in the northwestern part of the site, was built of two rows of large fieldstones with a core of small stones. The wall, oriented north–south and preserved a single course high, was set directly on bedrock.
The field tower (3.1 × 3.6 m; Fig. 3) was to the northeast of the watchman’s booth, beyond the route of the planned road. The tower, preserved three courses high, was constructed from large roughly hewn stones (0.7 × 1.0 m) with a core of small fieldstones. Adjacent to the eastern side of the tower was a large courtyard enclosed with a fieldstone-built fence. The tower resembled the square towers excavated in the vicinity of Rehan (HA-ESI 112:44*–45*).