The survey area was partly situated in a flat region that drains south, toward Nahal Yaval, and partly on the eastern slope of the hill where Horbat Moran is located. A small area, located on the hill within the settlement precincts was also surveyed, as a synagogue is intended to be built there. Thirty-eight sites with ancient remains were identified in four survey areas (A–D), as well as an ancient settlement site (Fig. 1).

Area A is located within the precincts of the existing settlement, on the fringes of Horbat Dagesh, which is situated on a hill north of the settlement. A building (5), a cairn (9), field walls (3, 4, 7), farming terraces (1, 2) rock-cuttings (8, 10, 11) and a depression in the ground (6), probably a cave or a cistern, were discovered.

 

Area B is located west of the current settlement, on a gentle spur that ascends toward the southwest. Three cisterns (12, 14, 17; Figs. 2, 3), with cupmarks near Cistern 14 (Fig. 4), a winepress (16; Fig. 5), a large cupmark (19), field walls (13, 15, 18) and farming terraces (20–23) were discovered.

 

Area C, located west of Area B, is in a forested section along the eastern slope of Giv‘at Moran. Four caves (27, 28, 36, 37; Fig. 6) were discovered; two were probably burial caves (27, 28). In addition, an ancient road that ascends in the direction of Horbat Moran and is delineated by stone walls (29; Fig. 7), a cairn (25), field walls (24, 26, 30, 31, 33, 35, 38) and farming terraces (32, 34), were documented.

 

Area D is west of Area B and north of Area C, within the precincts of Horbat Moran (Fig. 8), which consists of a dense and complex concentration of ancient remains, including buildings, caves, underground hiding complexes, cisterns and farming terraces.

The finds indicate that the survey area had mostly been used for agriculture in the past and was connected to the settlements at Horbat Moran and Horbat Dagesh. The artifacts recovered from the surveyed sites were largely potsherds, which indicate that some of the sites were dated to the Byzantine or the Early Islamic periods (sixth–seventh centuries CE). At other sites, particularly farming terraces and field walls, no datable artifacts were discovered, yet it is presumed that they were part of the same agricultural systems.