The excavation was conducted on a hill commanding views to the west and south toward the Mediterranean Sea, ‘Akko Valley and Lower Galilee as far as the Yodefat fortress. Nahal Bet Ha-‘Emeq flows along the northern side of the hill, and it may have been an important water source in antiquity. In 2005, M. Cohen directed a salvage excavation in two squares at the site (Permit No. A-4576; Fig. 2) following damage to antiquities during the construction of a water tank. The excavation uncovered Roman and Byzantine architectural remains. An excavation at the site in 2015 (Permit No. A-7380; Alexandre, Cohen and Shemer, forthcoming) revealed stratified building remains and installations dating from the Hellenistic to the Early Islamic periods. The site also yielded flint tools typical of an early phase of Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (c. 10,500 BP).

The current excavation was prompted by the 2015 salvage excavation and aimed to identify the stratigraphic relationship between remains of a rectangular stone building in the northwest of the site (Building 10) and the PPNB finds, as well as to collect additional finds from this period in order to establish its cultural affinity.

 
Building 10, excavated in the northwest of the site in 2015, yielded pottery assemblages from the Byzantine and Hellenistic periods, as well as a rich assemblage of PPNB flint objects. The large quantities of Neolithic-period finds in this area compared with those found in the rest of the site, suggested that a structure was first built here in the Neolithic period.

The current excavation focused on Building 10 (c. 7.5 × 8.5 m), where three new excavation squares were opened (21–23; Fig. 3). The excavation of the building was completed, revealing its four walls and built pillars extending inward from two of the walls. No floor was found; nevertheless, no connection was found between Building 10 and the Neolithic finds, and it was dated according to pottery finds to the Byzantine period (Stratum III in the stratigraphy of the site; Alexandre, Cohen and Shemer, forthcoming). The building’s western part was built on an ancient stone quarry, which was dated by its finds to the Hellenistic period. The building’s southeastern entrance was not preserved, probably due to modern construction work. The building’s western wall may have been cut into by a later wall.

The building was situated over a natural depression in the bedrock (c. 25 sq m) containing a rich PPNB layer (thickness 0.4–0.6 m) that evidently represents the remains of a large ancient settlement at the site (Stratum VII in the stratigraphy of the site). The foundations of the building cut into this stratum. A surface of small field stones (average dimensions 5–10 cm) was uncovered at the bottom of the stratum; most of the stones were burnt, and they may be the remains of a habitation level. The sediment in this stratum was compacted and yellowish, unlike the loose, dark brown and grayish brown sediments of the later strata and the sediment that covers the bedrock where it is close to the surface. Although most of the PPNB flint items were concentrated in the depression beneath Building 10, a few characteristic finds found in 2015 outside the building point to the original, extensive spread of this stratum. The flint assemblage included typical PPNB items, including Helwan points (Fig. 4:1, 2), bidirectional blades produced on keeled cores (Fig. 4:3) and bifacial axes (Fig. 4:4; Gopher 1994; Barkai and Yerkes 2008; Barzilai 2010). Other finds include transparent black obsidian items, including bladelets (Fig. 5), as well as a chisel and an axe fragment made of nephrite (Kuijt and Goring-Morris 2002), attesting to the trade relations of the settlement’s inhabitants.

 
The rich and diverse finds comprising the PPNB assemblage suggest the presence of a large settlement at the site with extensive activity, including trade relations. The PPNB finds were only recovered from natural depressions in the rock, probably because any remains above the rock surface had been destroyed by intensive activity at the site in subsequent periods.