In November 2012, a trial excavation was conducted west of Moshav Nov in the Golan Heights (Permit No. A-6641; map ref. 272495–500/749020–30), in the wake of damage caused to a dolmen and a small tumulus. The excavation, undertaken on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority and financed by the Kolhe Golan Company, Ltd., was directed by E. Bron (surveying and drafting), with the assistance of Y. Ya‘aqobi (administration).
The site is part of a large dolmen field near Nahal El ‘Al. It is located at an elevation of 400 m asl, on a basalt plain that slopes westward (Fig. 1), which are uses today for grazing. During the installation of a sewage line in the area, antiquities were damaged in two places.
Two sites were excavated:
1. A small tumulus (diam. 5 m), probably a stone clearance heap. No archaeological finds were discovered in it.
2. Remains of a dolmen (Fig. 2). An area measuring c. 5 × 7 m was excavated, and the small and medium-sized stones that were piled up while digging a trench for a pipeline were removed. Two large covering stones placed on top of smaller stones were discovered. A circle of stones (W101) delimiting an area without stones (L100; Fig. 3) was found to the east of the large covering stones. These were probably the remains of the dolmen’s burial cell. The cell remains were excavated down to a layer of small stones (depth c. 0.6 m) below the covering stone. It was filled with a layer of dark brown soil devoid of pottery sherds or flint, thus making it difficult to date the dolmen. The opening to the dolmen was not found, but judging by the placement of the covering slabs and the outline of W101, it seems that its entrance was aligned along an east–west axis.