Phase I
The corner of a well-built structure (W104, W105; Fig. 2) was found in the northwest quadrant. The walls did not bond but rather W104 abutted W105. Each wall was constructed from two parallel rows of large hammer-dressed stones with a small-stone fill (width c. 0.6 m). Only a single course of each wall was preserved (0.20–0.25 m high). It appears that the stone walls served as foundation for a brick superstructure, the remains of which comprised the very hard matrix of the excavation that was found between the stones of the walls as well.

 

A fragmentary wall (W107) of uncut fieldstones in the northeastern corner of the excavation square belonged to a later phase. The wall could not be accurately measured due to its close proximity to the balk. It ran parallel to W105, leaving a passage of 1.25 m between them. The ceramic finds associated with this wall were extremely perishable but all dated to the EB IA.
 

Abutting the southern outer face of the corner were the remains of a stone-lined and paved circular installation (L108), similar to the one found in ‘Alon’s excavation. Its position and height are compatible to its being contemporary with the structure.

 

Phase II
Three elements were accredited to the earliest phase: W109, W112 and a stone floor (L110).
 

W109 was 0.25–0.30 m below W107 and ran in a northwest–southeast direction. It was abruptly cut, apparently by the construction of W105. Wall 109 was built of two parallel rows of coarse hammer-dressed stones, smaller in size than those used for W104 and W105. A single course was preserved and it, too, appears to have served as a base for a brick superstructure. A fragmentary stone floor (L110) was associated with this wall.
 

A small wall segment (W112) was exposed c. 0.15–0.20 m below and bisecting the inside intersection of W104 and W105. Only a small part of its western face, built of medium-sized dressed fieldstones, was uncovered.
 

A number of seemingly aligned stones beneath W109 hinted at the existence of an earlier, Phase III, wall.

 

Both of the phases, as well as the suspected Phase III, were dated to the EB IA, with no discernible differences in the pottery repertoires. The assemblage was typical of the EB IA pottery in the Hula Valley. It is characterized by gray-burnished carinated and hemispherical bowls (Fig. 3:1–4), red-slipped bowls (Fig. 3:5), plain and thickened-rim holemouth jars (Fig. 3:6–9), flaring-rim jars (Fig. 3:10–12), bow-rim jars (Fig. 3:13–14), a pinched rim jar (Fig. 3:15) and a juglet (Fig. 3:16). Red slip was common to the repertoire. Similar assemblages are known from other Hula Valley sites, such as Tel Te’o (Strata V–IV; Tel Te’o [IAA Reports 13], pp. 118–131) and Khisas (R. Greenberg. 2002. Early Urbanizations in the Levant. London. Pp. 30–31).

 

The flint repertoire was outstanding in the percentage of identifiable tools among the finds. Twenty of the 45 flint artifacts were tools. Predominant in the repertoire were the sickle blades (14), of which most were Canaanean blades (10). Two blades datable to the Chalcolithic period were the only hint of a Chalcolithic presence on the site.

Waste Frequencies

Type

#

Chunks

18

Blades

3

Flakes

23

Cores

1

 

Tools

Type

#

Sickles

14

Canaanean

10

Backed

3

Unknown

1

Scraper

1

Truncated notch

1

Borer

1

Retouched flakes

3

Additional finds included a complete copper awl with a square section (length 5.3 cm), a bone point (Fig. 3:17), a basalt bowl rim fragment (Fig. 3:18) and a basalt hammer stone (diam. 4.6 cm).

 

The animal bones found in secure loci included three animal species––sheep, cattle and domesticated pig. These findings are identical to those from the contemporaneous Stratum IV at Tel Esur (ESI 16).

Species

No. of Bones

MNI

Sheep

15

1

Cattle

17

1

Domesticated pig

5

1