During January 2005 a salvage excavation was conducted at Budrus (South; Permit No. A-4332*; map ref. NIG 1992–4/6519–21; OIG 1492–4/1519–21), following a preliminary inspection at the site prior to the construction of the separation fence. The excavation, carried out on behalf of the Antiquities Authority and financed by the Ministry of Defense, was directed by I. Korenfeld, with the assistance of V. Essman and V. Pirsky (surveying) and T. Sagiv (photography).
A limekiln was excavated on the rocky slope that descends gently north toward Budrus (Fig. 1). Settlement strata of the Iron Age, Hellenistic and Byzantine periods were exposed in an earlier excavation to the north (HA-ESI 120).
A bedrock terrace was utilized in the construction of the kiln (diam. 3.40 m, depth 2.00 m), whereby the lower part of the installation was hewn and the upper part was constructed from fieldstones (Fig. 2). A cave opening that functioned as a flue was exposed in the lower part of the kiln. The southern side of the kiln was lined with small stones and its upper northern side consisted of medium-sized fieldstone construction that was set on bedrock, probably for the purpose of supporting the ceiling. The installation was filled with gray kiln debris, white lime and burnt limestone. No datable finds were recovered from the excavation.
Surveys and excavations that were conducted in the region revealed agricultural systems and installations that dated mostly to the Byzantine period. It can therefore be assumed that the limekiln was also part of this array, although it could not be dated.