During November 2011, a survey was conducted in the ‘Arava along Highway 90, in the section between Km 101 and Km 125 (License No. S-312/2011; map ref. 212482–7546/463670–89812), prior to widening the road. The survey, undertaken on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority and underwritten by the Department of Public Works, was carried out by Y. Haimi (field photography) and S. Talis, with the assistance of S. Gal (GPS).
The survey was performed on foot in the region of Nahal Zofar and five sites were documented (1–5; Fig. 1). Two of the sites are encampment sites that were located on the banks of wadi channels. Several declared antiquities sites are located in the survey area. At the site ‘Nahal ‘Arava’, remains of an ancient agricultural settlement were documented, including square and elliptical buildings and large scatters of mortars dating to the Umayyad and the Early Abbasid periods. At the site ‘Be’er Menuha’, remains of six tombs from the Roman period were documented. At the site ‘Nahal ‘Ashosh Nahal Zofar’, remains of a building and a tumulus from the Early Bronze Age were documented. At the site ‘Nahal Zofar’ a poorly preserved encampment site was documented. At the site ‘Kippat ‘Eshet’, remains of an encampment site, including concentrations of stones and sections of walls, as well as hearths from the Roman and Byzantine periods, were documented.
1. Map ref. 216458/488039. A stone heap (diam. c. 1 m).
2. Map ref. 216330/487409. A stone heap (diam. c. 1 m).
3. Map ref. 216199/487315. An encampment site (c. 3 dunams; Fig. 2) that includes several poorly preserved stone clusters.
4. Map ref. 215129/485072. An encampment site dating to the Early Islamic period (c. 4 dunams; Fig. 3) that consists of several round structures (diam. c. 5 m; Fig. 4) that were built on the southern bank of a wadi channel.
5. Map ref. 214372/483186. A stone heap (diam. c. 1 m).