In the current excavation, one square was opened on the slope northeast of the site. The finds ascertain that the settlement did not extend as far as this point. The natural bedrock was overlain with a layer of soil (thickness 0.5–0.8 m) mixed with organic matter, pottery sherds and building stones that had eroded from the site and accumulated in an unstratified manner on the slope. In addition, one and one-half squares (Figs. 2, 3) were opened in the southeastern part of the site, yielding remains that were ascribed to Strata 2 and 3. The tops of the walls from Stratum 2 were found near the surface; Stratum 1 was not observed. The excavation finds are in keeping with what is known from previous excavations at the site, and they supplement the information regarding the layout and character of the site.

 

Stratum 3. A tamped-earth floor (L1012) was founded on the bedrock. It abutted a wall (W4) that delimited it on the west. Several pottery sherds were recovered from the floor, including a fragment of a bag-shaped jar (Fig. 4:1) that dates from the Byzantine period.

 

Stratum 2. A layer that dates from the Early Islamic period was revealed c. 0.6 m above the floor of Stratum 3: a wall (W1) that ran down the middle of the square, which was adjoined from the north by an L-shaped wall (W2), probably an installation. A pounded-chalk floor (L1005) abutted the walls. A third wall (W3) adjoined W1 from the south. A tamped-earth floor (L1009) was located in the southwest of the square. East of W3 was a tamped-earth floor (L1007) and above it—a layer of ash that contained fragments of a tabun.

The pottery sherds found in this stratum include a cooking pot with a cut rim (Fig. 4:2), a decorated Fine Byzantine Ware jug (Fig. 4:3), a jar (Fig. 4:4), a rim and a neck of a flask (Fig. 4:5) and a decorated lamp (Fig. 4:6).