During March 2001 a brief archaeological investigation and excavation were carried out at the Zippor site in Modi‘in (Permit No. A-3393; map ref. NIG 1968–70/65075–110; OIG 1468–70/15075–110), prior to the construction of the Road 3 bypass. The excavation, on behalf of the Antiquities Authority, was directed by Alexander Onn, assisted by V. Pirsky (surveying).
Two winepresses and a cave were excavated.
(1) A small rock-hewn winepress (Fig. 1) that had a square treading floor (1.3 m) and a collecting vat to its northeast, roughly circular in shape (diam. c. 0.7 m; 0.5 m deep). In the center of the vat was a settling basin (diam. c 0.2 m; 0.1 m deep). A shallow, curving channel (length c. 0.3 m; width 0.2–0.3 m) connected the treading floor to the collection vat. The winepress was devoid of datable pottery or other artifacts.
(2) A large winepress (Fig. 2) was located within a field, near severely ruined agricultural terraces, c. 60 m north of the small winepress. The winepress had a trapezoidal treading floor (c. 3.00 × 3.25 m). On the northwestern side of the treading floor was a roughly rectangular collection vat (1.25 × 1.40 m; depth 0.9 m), with bulging northern and southern walls. A settling pit (diam. c. 0.5 m; depth 0.1 m) in the center of the vat was slightly toward its northeastern side. An east–west bedrock-hewn channel (width 0.13–0.45 m) cut across the southern corner of the treading floor. Datable pottery or other artifacts were not found in this winepress.
(3) Immediately to the east and below the level of the large winepress, a cave (c. 2 × 4 m) that was apparently utilized for dwelling and contained a layer of modern remains, was discovered. A second lower fill layer, between the modern layer and bedrock, contained pottery fragments dating to the Roman period.