During October 2002 a trial excavation was conducted in the compound of the Ashkenazi marketplace in Yahud, c. 30 m south of the intersection of Weizmann and Ashkenazi Streets (Permit No. A-3734*; map ref. NIG 18985–92/65960–4; OIG 13985–92/15960–4). The excavation, on behalf of the Antiquities Authority and financed by the municipality of Yahud, was directed by N. Velednitzki, assisted by Y. Dangor (administration) and V. Essman (surveying).
Two half excavation squares (1, 2) were opened c. 10 m apart. The eastern half of a tomb was discovered in Square 1 below an accumulation of soil (thickness c. 1 m). The tomb had a rectangular outline and was carelessly built of fieldstones that overlaid the remains of bones. The tomb was probably dug into a layer that contained pottery fragments dating to the Byzantine period. The construction style and its east–west orientation suggest that this was a later grave, possibly from the Ottoman period.
A thick layer (1.8 m) of pottery fragments dating to the Byzantine period was discovered in Square 2, c. 0.8 m below surface. The potsherds were worn, possibly due to flowing water.