Tel Te’enim (c. 5 dunams) is situated on a low spur (53 m above sea level) at the western end of the Samaria foothills, c. 2 km south of Tulkarm and c. 100 m west of Highway 444. Another low spur of the Samaria foothills extends south of the tell and the alluvial coastal plain is to its west. The villages of Irtah and Far‘oun are situated on the western ridges of the Samaria foothills that descend east of the site, which is located alongside the Via Maris that extended the length of the Sharon plain, connecting Tel Afek in the south with Tell Shuweika in the north, as well as Tel Jatt, Wadi ‘Ara and Tel Megiddo. Previous excavations at the site revealed a complex of underground caves from Middle Bronze IIB (ESI 16:80–81) and caves that contained finds from the Chalcolithic period, Early Bronze I and the  Late Bronze Age (ESI 19:104*; HA-ESI 117).

Twenty-one squares were opened, revealing no building remains. It became apparent that all the settlement remains on the tell, which was probably spread across six–seven dunams, were destroyed by stone clearance and deep plowing activities that took place during the twentieth century. Only potsherd scatterings, without any clear context and for the most part poorly preserved, were discovered at the site. Occasionally, in bedrock’s depressions and in the clay soil of the site, vessels were found in situ, although not in a clear context. Except for several worn potsherds from the Byzantine period, the entire ceramic assemblage is dated to MB IIB. In light of the paucity of MB IIB sites in the northern coastal plain, particularly single-period settlement sites and despite the absence of a clear archaeological context, this assemblage contributes to the knowledge of the period’s material culture.

 

A wide variety of bowls were found. These included open bowls with a plain pointed rim, having no fold or thickening (Fig. 1:1, 2); bowls with flaring out (Fig. 1:3) and everted (Fig. 1:4, 5) rims; bowls with inverted rims (Fig. 1:6–8); and bowls with folded-in rims (Fig. 1:9–18), which constitute the most common group among open bowls; a bowl whose rim is thickened on the inside and outside (Fig. 2:1); bowls with a thickened and curved out rim (Fig. 2:2–6); bowls with a rounded profile and inverted  rim (Fig. 2:7–10); a bowl with S-shaped profile (Fig. 2:11); a diverse group of rounded bowls with thin walls and a pointed rim, either vertical or inverted (Fig. 2:12–23), which is the most widespread group amongst the assemblage of small closed bowls; and a coarse open and shallow bowl (lamp?; Fig. 2:24). Found as well were carinated bowls (Fig. 3:1, 2) and trumpet-like bases of bowls with thin walls (Fig. 3:3–7) that are made of delicate, well-levigated pale yellow to whitish fabric.

 

The cooking pots included vessels with an everted rim that protrudes out (Fig. 4:1–7), which are made of coarse brown-black clay, containing a large quantity of white and gray inclusions; cooking pots with a curved-out rim (Fig. 4:8–14), made of brown clay with a small amount of inclusions, a few of which have handles; and cooking pots with a folded-out rim, made of brown clay mixed with a large quantity of white and gray inclusions (Fig. 5), which is the most common type of cooking pot in the assemblage. The pithoi have thickened everted rims (Fig. 6). The jars have thickened inverted rims (Fig. 7:1), a thickened curved-out rim (Fig. 7:2) or an everted one (Fig. 7:3), a mushroom-like rim (Fig. 7:4), a ridged rim (Fig. 7:5) and a rim pointed at the top (Fig. 7:6–9). Numerous fragments of small pottery vessels were found, including jugs and juglets. One of these fragments, decorated with red and black on white, belonged to a jar of a White and Blue type, and three fragments were of Cypriot White Painted VI ware.

 

Twenty-three mostly complete weights of fired clay were found in the excavation; these were probably loom weights (Fig. 8). Their diameter is uniform (4.0–4.5 cm) and close to one of the ends, which in most cases is pointed and in others—domed, a hole is perforated (diam. 2–3 mm). Most of the weights are made of dark brown clay and have a black core, mixed with white and gray inclusions. A basalt bowl fragment (Fig. 9:1) was also found. A group of grooves is incised on its interior and a hole is perforated in its side. This fragment probably belonged to a Chalcolithic bowl that was utilized in secondary use as a weight in the Middle Bronze Age.

 

Numerous other basalt items were recovered from the excavation, including large grinding stones (Fig. 9:2, 3); a stone that was identified in Hazor as ‘the bottom part of a tournette’ (Fig. 9:4), but it seems, in light of its small dimensions, to have been used as a nether stone for grinding small amounts of grains or for incising small stones; and small grinding stones (Fig. 9:5–12) of fine textured basalt that were probably used to grind small amounts of fine material. Eight typical Canaanean blades and several poorly preserved bronze artifacts, including a needle, a spearhead and fragments of an ingot were found.