During November 2004, an archaeological survey was conducted along the planned route of the separation fence (Stage D-2) in the southern Hebron hill country, between Shim‘a and Mezadot Yehuda (Permit No. A-4288; central map ref. NIG 1982–2093/5843–54; OIG 1482–593/0843–54). The survey, undertaken on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority and underwritten by the Ministry of Defense, was carried out by Y. Israel and F. Sonntag, with the assistance of N.S. Paran (data compilation) and S. Gal (GPS).
A strip (length c. 11 km, width c. 0.5 km), out of the 15.5 km route of the separation fence, was surveyed (Fig. 1; the rest of the route lies beyond the Cease-Fire Line and was surveyed by the Archaeological Staff Officer of Judea and Samaria). The route of the fence runs through a mountainous area of limestone and chalk, along the southern bank of Nahal Eshtamo‘a. The survey area encompassed the northern fringes of Horbat Yattir.
Ninety sites (Table 1), mostly agricultural installations of domestic nature that included farming terraces (dozens), field walls (dozens), cup marks (dozens), sheepfolds (14), cisterns (11), winepresses (6), stone piles and clearance heaps (5), dams (5), troughs (3), watchmen's huts (3), olive presses (2) and other installations (5), were surveyed. Other sites included caves, about half of which were used as dwellings (11) and the rest for burial (10); 11 buildings, some of which were located near architectural installations and may have been farmhouses, while others were situated along the edge of Horbat Yattir; rock cuttings (quarry?); and a single cist grave. Most of the sites did not yield any datable finds; however, the installations, characteristic of the archaeological remains in the southern Hebron hill country, were part of the agricultural hinterland of the settlements during the Byzantine period.
Table 1. List of surveyed sites
Site No. | Map Ref. (NIG) | Description of Find | Period | Excavations (Permit No. Publications) |
1 | 198250/584537 | Dam | Byzantine | HA-ESI 120 |
2 | 198264/584541 | Dam | Byzantine | HA-ESI 120 |
3 | 198669/584427 | Building | Unknown | |
4 | 198673/584439 | Field wall (Fig. 2) | Unknown | |
5 | 198658/584438 | Burial cave, sheepfolds, farming terraces | Unknown | |
6 | 199027/584524 | Sheepfold | Unknown | A-4482 |
7 | 199026/584532 | Sheepfold | Unknown | A-4482 |
8 | 199026/584531 | Sheepfold | Unknown | A-4482 |
9 | 199043/584542 | Farming terrace | Unknown | A-4482 |
10 | 199060/584537 | Sheepfold, building, cistern | Unknown | |
11 | 199143/584487 | Building, dam, farming terraces | Byzantine | |
12 | 199194/584508 | Field wall (Fig. 3) | Unknown | |
13 | 199182/584521 | Sheepfold | Unknown | |
14 | 199197/584502 | Sheepfold | Unknown | |
15 | 199214/584500 | Sheepfold | Unknown | |
16 | 199223/584540 | Sheepfold | Unknown | |
17 | 199257/584535 | Farming terrace (Fig. 4) | Unknown | |
18 | 199237/584562 | Sheepfold | Unknown | |
19 | 199411/584460 | Field wall | Unknown | HA-ESI 120 |
20 | 199706/584605 | Sheepfold, cup mark | Byzantine | |
21 | 199704/584614 | Sheepfold | Unknown | HA-ESI 120 |
22 | 199542/584824 | Watchman’s hut | Byzantine | HA-ESI 120 |
23 | 199468/584748 | Burial cave, dam | Unknown | |
24 | 199471/584739 | Dam | Unknown | |
25 | 199493/584707 | Burial cave (Fig. 5) | Unknown | |
26 | 199630/584648 | Sheepfold | Unknown | HA-ESI 120 |
27 | 199992-201180/583700-585180 | Horbat Yattir:settlement, church, cisterns, olive press, road sheepfolds, caves (Figs. 6, 7), installations | Roman--Byzantine | |
28 | 201332/585082 | Watchman’s hut (Fig. 8) | Unknown | A-4482 |
29 | 201325/585086 | Rock cuttings (Fig. 9) | Unknown | |
30 | 201318/585091 | Olive press | Unknown | |
31 | 201355/585004 | Building (Fig. 10) | Unknown | |
32 | 201382/584954 | Cave | Unknown | |
33 | 201293/584999 | Cave | Unknown | |
34 | 201298/585002 | Cave | Unknown | |
35 | 201440/584982 | Hewn cistern | Unknown | |
36 | 201508/585005 | 2 hewn cisterns | Unknown | |
37 | 201360/585284 | Cave (Fig. 11) | Unknown | |
38 | 201363/585312 | Cave | |
39 | 201555/585164 | Cup mark | Unknown | |
40 | 201551/585160 | Farming terrace | Unknown | |
41 | 201826/585222 | Cup mark | Unknown | |
42 | 201811/585230 | Cup mark | Unknown | |
43 | 201852/585244 | Building | Unknown | |
44 | 201845/585149 | Hewn cistern (Fig. 12) | Byzantine | |
45 | 201848/585151 | Winepress (Fig. 13) | Byzantine | |
46 | 202041/585271 | Cave | Unknown | |
47 | 202116/585260 | Burial cave | Unknown | |
48 | 202104/585265 | Burial cave | Unknown | |
49 | 202068/585217 | Burial cave | Unknown | |
50 | 202096/585199 | Burial cave | Unknown | |
51 | 202065/585169 | Burial cave | Unknown | |
52 | 202062/585173 | Hewn cistern | Unknown | |
53 | 202063/585153 | Cup mark | Unknown | |
54 | 202067/585153 | Burial cave | Unknown | |
55 | 202082/585154 | Cup mark | Unknown | |
56 | 202098/585159 | Cave and hewn installation | Unknown | |
57 | 202119/585214 | Hewn cist grave | Unknown | |
58 | 202309/585225 | Burial cave | Unknown | |
59 | 205432/585101 | Hewn cistern (Fig. 14), trough | Byzantine | A-4502 |
60 | 205779/585082 | Sheepfold, winepress | Unknown | HA-ESI 120 |
61 | 205710/585072 | Stone heaps (Fig. 15) | Unknown | |
62 | 205682/585065 | Burial cave | Unknown | |
63 | 205670/585035 | Field road (Fig. 16) | Unknown | |
64 | 205969/585029 | Cave, building, olive press (Fig. 17) | Byzantine | |
65 | 205948/584996 | Hewn installation | Byzantine | |
66 | 207252/585025 | Building, cisterns, winepress | Unknown | HA-ESI 120 |
67 | 207263/584994 | Hewn cistern | Unknown | |
68 | 207256/584982 | Cave | Unknown | |
69 | 207273/585008 | Hewn cistern (Fig. 18) | Unknown | |
70 | 207253/584980 | Cave | Unknown | |
71 | 207412/585027 | Winepress (Fig. 19) | Unknown | |
72 | 207423/585028 | Cave | Unknown | HA-ESI 120 |
73 | 207357/585053 | Winepress (Fig. 20) | Unknown | |
74 | 207377/585097 | Hewn cistern | Unknown | |
75 | 207653/584984 | Hewn installation | Byzantine | |
76 | 207670/584988 | Olive press | Byzantine | |
77 | 207687/584987 | Hewn cistern | Byzantine | |
78 | 207701/584995 | Hewn installation | Byzantine | HA-ESI 120 |
79 | 207688/584963 | Hewn cistern | Unknown | |
80 | 207759/584843 | Sheepfold | Unknown | HA-ESI 120 |
81 | 207902/584905 | Hewn installation, building (Fig. 21) | Unknown | |
82 | 207935/584889 | Winepress, building | Unknown | HA-ESI 121 |
83 | 208280/585059 | Stone heaps | Unknown | |
84 | 208278/585059 | Stone heaps | Unknown | |
85 | 208324/585029 | Stone heaps | Unknown | |
86 | 208485/584923 | Stone heaps | Unknown | HA-ESI 120 |
87 | 209270/585078 | Cave | Unknown | |
88 | 209151/585014 | Hewn installation | Unknown | |
89 | 209146/585010 | Cup mark | Unknown | |
90 | 209135/585012 | Building | Unknown | |