Area A (Fig. 2). Square A was disturbed by two communication trenches, along its eastern side and in the center. Following the removal of asphalt and modern road-bedding layers (thickness 0.3 m), a row of various-sized kurkar blocks (W1) was exposed, as well as three more kurkar stones parallel to it that may be part of another wall (W2). The ceramic finds dated to the Intermediate Bronze Age, Iron Age and Persian period. The Intermediate Bronze Age finds included a bowl of pink clay with a red-slipped rim (Fig. 3:1). Iron Age II finds consisted of open bowls (Fig. 3:2–4, 9); Samaritan bowls, red slipped on the interior and exterior (Fig. 3:5–8); a bowl of brown-orange clay (Fig. 3:10); kraters with a thickened and everted rim (Fig. 4:1–5); kraters with a grooved rim (Fig. 4:6, 8); jars (Fig. 4:9–13); a Cypro-Phoenician juglet (Fig. 4:16) and the rim of another juglet (Fig. 4:15). The Persian-period finds were a jar whose fabric is white on the exterior and light pink on the interior (Fig. 4:7) and a mortarium base of light colored clay (Fig. 4: 14). The non-ceramic finds included a murex shell (L107) and a broad denticulated flint blade (L104).

 

Square B revealed a rock-cutting in the kurkar bedrock that may be the remains of a burial cave. The ceramic finds were meager and it was uncertain whether they belonged to the rock-cutting. They included cooking pots (Fig. 5:1, 2) and kraters (Fig. 5: 3, 4) dating to Iron Age II (c. eighth century BCE). This date coincided with that of the survey finds documented in the region (Map of Herzliyya [69]). Human bones that belonged to at least two individuals, one 4–8 years of age and the other, older than 15 years of age, were found near the pottery fragments.

 

Square C was disturbed when a pipe for communication cables was installed, dividing the square into two. Architectural remains were not exposed and the scant ceramic finds included a krater (Fig. 6:1) and jars (Fig. 6:2–5), dating to the Persian period. Poorly preserved human bones were found in the southeastern corner of the square next to a jar (Fig. 6:2) and in the northeastern corner of the square, they lay beneath the base of a broken jar (not drawn), placed upside down. These bones consisted of a cranial vault, teeth and postcranial bones, representing at least two adult individuals, 30–40 years of age and older than 50 years of age.

 

Area B. One square (2.5 × 3.0 m) was opened 10 m west of the excavation conducted by E. van den Brink (‘Atiqot 39:43). The square was disturbed by a trench for a pipe (thickness 0.7 m) in the south and by a sewage channel in the north (width 0.3 m). After removal of a modern layer (thickness 0.3 m) a very thin hamra layer (thickness 0.15 m) above natural sand was excavated. Three medium-sized kurkar fieldstones were exposed at a depth of 1.2 m. The ceramic finds included a bowl, red slipped on the exterior (Fig. 7:1), dating to the Iron Age and a jar, dating to the Middle Bronze Age IIA (Fig. 7:2), was found in the section, during  inspection work.