During October–November 2000 an excavation was conducted at ‘Mit
ham Buchman’ in Modi‘in (A-3328; map ref. NIG 2000–10/6435–42; OIG 15000–10/1435–42), in preparation for a new neighborhood. The excavation, on behalf of the Antiquities Authority, was directed by A. Onn, assisted by Y. Rapuano, A. Hajian (surveying) and R. Abu Halaf and S. Jan (administration).
The site is located on the northern, western and southern slopes of a hill, to the northeast of the Latrun–Modi‘in highway, near the western entrance to Modi‘in; it is c. 250 dunams in size. The archaeological remains investigated at 198 surveyed points consisted of structures, agricultural installations, industrial installations, cairns, stone platforms and burial caves.
Structures
. These consisted of a two-room dwelling, perhaps a farmhouse, wherein the walls were preserved c. 1 m high; a long enclosure; a courtyard or animal pen; another courtyard, which could have been a chamber, and a bedrock area that was enclosed with cupmarks.
Agricultural installations
. Winepresses, cisterns, agri-cultural terraces, stone fences, basins and cupmarks are gathered under this heading.
The winepresses belonged to two main groups; the first had an oval treading floor and an oval vat, and the second group consisted of a usually rectangular treading floor and a rectangular vat, save one instance where it was oval. Fourteen winepresses, including two unfinished installations, were explored.
Several cisterns in the area (three were excavated) had their tops hewn into bedrock and were associated with at least a single stone trough or a cupmark.
A number of basins (seven were investigated) were sometimes enclosed within a frame, possibly to accommodate a cover.
Industrial installations
. Several small quarries (two were carefully inspected) probably served to extract masonry stones for the different built features around the site. Two limekilns were discovered, partially hewn into bedrock.
Cairns and stone platforms
. Cairns built of fieldstone boulders were recorded, sometimes grouped in two, three and more. They could be classified into three types: The first was rectangular, the second was circular, having often a central stone that was positioned horizontally, and the third was oval; one or more
mazzevot were combined in its wall and occasionally, it had a stone slab propped up like a ‘table’.
Bedrock platforms existed in varying sizes; basins, cupmarks and pressing installations were hewn into them and small fieldstone enclosures were installed above them.
Burial Installations
. A rock-hewn vat in a winepress was converted into a subterranean tomb, accessed via a stairwell; it contained several troughs and was closed with a blocking stone. Tombs were also cut underground at courtyard corners; in one case, the doorway into the tomb was furnished with a double-recessed frame.