In April 2018, an excavation was conducted at Bet She‘arim (Permit No. A-8278; map ref. 212718–863/734532–721), prior to the opening of the Sanhedrin Trail. The excavation, on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, was directed by N. Feig, with the assistance of E. Armon-Imbar (field photography) and school students, as part of the IAA community-outreach program.
The site of Bet She‘arim is located on the hill of Sheikh Abreik in the Lower Galilee. The excavation was conducted in the northern part of the site, east of Ha-Bonim Street, along a walking path through the forest.
The excavation was conducted in eight locations (c. 200 sq m). Quarries (c. 3 × 4 m each; Fig. 1) were unearthed in five of the locations; they had negatives of stones and detachment channels. A rounded rock cutting (depth c. 0.4 m) and a rock-hewn channel (width c. 0.2 m) were also unearthed. The pottery was scanty, with a few body fragments from the Late Roman and Byzantine periods.
This part of the site appears to have been a quarry area, which was used as a source for building blocks. Similar quarries were previously fond nearby (
Sa‘id 2008).