A rectangular area (4 × 8 m; Figs. 2, 3) was excavated, and three strata were identified (I–III).
Stratum III. An accumulation of gray-brown soil (L305; thickness 0.1–0.3 m) containing pottery was exposed above virgin soil. The artifacts included red-slipped LRC3 bowl dating to the Byzantine period (Fig. 4:1), a basin from the Roman period (Fig. 4:2) and a jar from the Byzantine period (Fig. 4:3).
Stratum II. An accumulation of black earth and several stones (L304; thickness 0.6–0.9 m) rich in pottery, was exposed. The Crusader-period pottery included glazed bowl imported from the Aegean region (Fig. 4:4), glazed bowl (Fig. 4:5), cooking vessels from Beirut (fig. 4:6, 7) and a base of a green-glazed bowl (Fig. 4:8); pottery from the Mamluk and early Ottoman periods included red-slipped bowl (Fig. 4:9), glazed cooking bowls (Fig. 4:10, 11), yellow or green-glazed bowls (monochrome; Fig. 4:12, 13), cooking pot (fig. 4:14), jug (Fig. 5:1) and jars (Fig. 5: 2, 3).
Stratum I. Remains of the village of Umm al-Faraj were uncovered. A wall (W302) of a building that was situated west of the excavation area was uncovered. East of the wall was a massive heap of collapsed building stones. Among the building stones and in the soil beneath them, were several metal and glass objects that date the collapse to the mid-twentieth century CE. A silver Turkish coin from the time of Sultan Mehmed V (1909–1918 CE) was also found. The lack of uniformity evident in the stones of the wall and the collapse indicate that they were in secondary use, and originated in older buildings. A pit (L306) that penetrated Strata II and III is ascribed to the beginning of Stratum I. It contained black ash and pottery sherds, including a bowl and a basin from Rasheya el-Fukhar (Fig. 5:4, 5), glazed and slipped bowls from Didymoteichon (Fig. 5:6, 7), a bowl with a brown-on-white decoration from Çanakkale (Fig. 8:5) and a fragment of bowl decorated with turquoise, yellow and brown over white glaze (Fig. 5:9), of a rare type from Grottaglia in southern Italy, or from Corfu. In addition, a spout of Rasheya el-Fukhar jug (Fig. 5:10) and tobacco pipes dating to the late eighteenth–early nineteenth centuries CE (Fig. 5:11, 12) were found.
 
Sugar Moulds. Numerous fragments of oven bricks and sugar moulds stood out among the finds in Strata I and II. These vessels in the shape of flower pots, were used for the process of drying and crystallizing the sugar syrup, and support sources from the Crusader period which testify to sugar production at the site, and finds from previous excavations (see above; for information on the development of the sugar moulds see Stern et al. forthcoming). In association with the sugar pots were fragments of molasses jars (Fig. 6), in which the liquid which remained after the crystalization of the sugar was decanted. A comparison of the finds from the excavation at Moshav Ben Ami with the artifacts from other sites, reveals five main stages in the development of the sugar mould. These stages represent the history of the sugar industry in our region, from its start in the eleventh century CE to its decline in the fifteenth–seventeenth centuries CE.
Stage I—the Fatimid period (eleventh century CE). Sugar moulds with thin walls and two types of bases—round and wide, or flat—with three or five holes, were found in Damati’s excavation (2011: Fig. 22). Identical moulds were found in a well-dated context at Kabri (Smithline 2004Smithline pers. comm.).
Stage II—the Crusader period (twelfth century CE; Fig. 7). Sugar moulds at this stage have thick straight walls, plain rounded rim and narrow round base with a hole at the center. The fabric is reddish brown and rich in sand, the surface is light. The wall is sometimes decorated with bands of incised lines, straight or wavy.
Stage III—the Crusader period (thirteenth century CE; Fig. 8). The walls of the moulds become slightly thinner, and their rim is somewhat thickened or gently folded; their base is round and perforated at the center. The fabric is very similar to that of the sugar moulds from the previous stage.
Stage IV—the Mamluk period (fourteenth–fifteenth centuries CE; Fig. 9). The sugar moulds become larger and the lines of the potter’s wheel on the outside of the vessel are prominent. Attempts to smooth the lines of the potter’s wheel on the inside are apparent. The fold in the rim is conspicuous. The base, which is sometimes flattened and sometimes round, has a hole in it. These vessels are made of coarse unlevigated clay, usually orange-red.
Stage V—the early Ottoman period (fifteenth century–early sixteenth century CE; Fig. 10). The clay and shape are similar to those of the Mamluk period, but the clay contains much more inclusions. The diameter of the moulds is generally smaller, and their rim is thick and folded, with deep grooves in it.
The early sugar moulds were very different from the ones that followed. At the beginning of the Crusader period the vessels were conical, with a narrow perforated base. The early sugar moulds were smaller and increased in size over time. The rims were shaped with a fold that grew more prominent over time. The bases were initially round, and a new type with flat base was introduced subsequently. In the later stages the clay became coarser, and the firing temperature lower. In the Ottoman period the vessels became smaller again. From the fourteenth century CE we discern a clear tendency for smoothing the inside surface of the vessel, probably to facilitate removal of the crystallized sugar. It is possible to identify a tendency to increase the size of the vessels, and at the same time decrease attention to details. As the experience of sugar production increased, the manufacture became less meticulously, probably as experience led to an understanding that there was no need for being over meticulous.  
 
Petrography. The temper n most of the Crusader pottery (Table 1: Group 1D) was beach sand and in several cases, either hamra (Group 2) or chalk (Groups 1B and 1C) were used, or no temper at all (Group 1A). Seawater was involved in the manufacturing process of many vessels. There is no apparent difference between the fabric of the pottery in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries CE. The vessels from the Mamluk and Ottoman periods were tempered with chalk, or were manufactured of marl with no temper, and there is no evidence to the use of seawater. 
  
Table 1. Petrographic Finds
 
Sample
Figure
Basket
Period (CE)
Group
Petrographic features
5.2
8:6
3028/5
Crusader (13th c.)
1A
Foraminiferous marl, without temper or salt water
3.2
9:2
3030/4
Mamluk
1A
Foraminiferous marl, without temper
4.1
9:8
3030/1
Mamluk
1A
Foraminiferous marl, without temper
4.2
3022/4
Mamluk
1A
Foraminiferous marl, without temper
3.1
3022/3
Ottoman
1A
Foraminiferous marl, without temper
2.4
9:7
3026/2
Mamluk
1B
Foraminiferous marl and biogenic chalk
3.3
9:4
3032/2
Mamluk
1B
Foraminiferous marl and biogenic chalk
3.4
9:1
3029/1
Mamluk
1B
Foraminiferous marl and biogenic chalk
4.4
9:3
3030/3
Mamluk
1B
Foraminiferous marl and biogenic chalk
5.4
9:5
3032/1
Mamluk
1B
Foraminiferous marl and biogenic chalk
6.1
7:3
3024/1
Crusader (12th c.)
1C
Foraminiferous marl and zifzif
1.1
10:1
3035/1
Ottoman
1C
Foraminiferous marl and zifzif
1.2
10:7
3028/4
Ottoman
1C
Foraminiferous marl and zifzif
1.3
7:4
3025/1
Crusader (12th c.
1D
Foraminiferous marl, beach sand and salt water
1.4
8:3
3022/5
Crusader (13th c.)
1D
Foraminiferous marl, beach sand and salt water
2.1
7:7
3029/2
Crusader (12th c.)
1D
Foraminiferous marl, beach sand and salt water
2.3
7:1
3009/1
Crusader (12th c.)
1D
Foraminiferous marl, beach sand and salt water
4.3
8:2
3026/3
Crusader (13th c.)
1D
Foraminiferous marl, beach sand and salt water
5.3
7:6
3026/1
Crusader (12th c.)
1D
Foraminiferous marl, beach sand and salt water
2.2
8:5
3022/6
Crusader (13th c.)
2
Red hamra and quartz sand
 
Evidence of sugar production is known from five sites in the Western Galilee (Fig. 1): Umm el-Faraj, el-Kabri (Smithline 2004), Lower Horbat Manot (Stern 2001), Nahariyya (Kh. Yanuhiyah; Lerer 2014) and ‘En Afek (Shaked 2000). The finds from the present excavation, and those of Damati’s excavation (Damati 2011) demonstrate continuous sugar production from the eleventh century to the beginning of the seventeenth century CE. To date, this is the longest sequence to be found on any site, but it is likely that similar sites will eventually be found. The study of the finds from Moshav Ben Ami allows a better understanding of the development of the ceramic vessels that were used to crystallize sugar. Petrographic analysis identified beach sand (zifzif) as temper in the sugar molds from the Crusader period, and frequent use of seawater in manufacture, indicating production near the coast. During the Mamluk and Ottoman periods neither seawater nor beach sand were used, but rather marl and chalk. The composition of the clay seems to have been uniform, but it does not facilitate identification of the provenance, and we can only note that the latter sugar molds were not made near the coast, but rather in the mountainous region to the east. This change seems to contradict the evidence of uninterrupted manufacturing at the site, but is in keeping with the historical evidence, that the center of government transferred from coastal ‘Akko to Zefat in the mountains. Based on this change it seems therefore that the archaeological evidence reflects direct involvement of the rulers in the production of sugar.