In October 2013, a salvage excavation was conducted at the site of Ras Abu Dahud in the Nahalat Yehuda neighborhood of Rishon Le-Ziyyon (Permit No. A-6928; map ref. 181934–64/654504–36; Fig. 1). The excavation, undertaken on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority and financed by Shimoni, Alster and Raziel – Attorneys at Law, was directed by C. Ben-Ari, with the assistance of Y. Amrani and E. Bachar (administration), M. Kahan (surveying and drawing), A. Dagot (GPS), M. Molokandov (preliminary inspections), N. Zak (plan), M. Shuiskaya (pottery drawing), L. Kupershmidt (metallurgical laboratory), R. Kool (numismatics), M. Ajami, A. Gorzalczany and P. Spivak (scientific consultation).
Beneath the hamra soil (depth 0.9 m), which was removed with a backhoe, two occupation levels were exposed. The upper occupation level included shallow clusters of small kurkar stones and limestone, possibly a floor bed (L106; thickness 4–7 cm). Shells and several non-diagnostic flint items were discovered between the stones. Three dressed kurkar stones (average dimensions: 4 × 9 × 24 cm) were exposed in the eastern part of the Stone Clusters 106. These stones may be the meager remains of a wall foundation that ran in a general east–west direction (W105; Fig. 4). A patch of gray earth with distinct boundaries (L101; 0.65 × 0.68 m; depth 0.12 m) was exposed in the northern part of the square. It included several non-diagnostic pottery sherds, burnt organic matter and a lump of unworked flint. The excavation in the upper level yielded pottery sherds that date from the Persian period to the Early Roman period (fourth century BCE – first century CE), including a jar from the Persian period (fourth–third century BCE; Fig. 5:1) and fragments of a knife-pared Herodian lamp (first century CE; Fig. 5:2). Also found were three bronze coins: one from the Byzantine period (fourth century CE; IAA 145681) and two from the Umayyad period, following the reform of ‘Abd al-Malik (697–750 CE; IAA 145679, 145680). Coin 145679 is dated precisely to the years 734–735 CE (Fig. 6). A bronze item that may be a handle of a small vessel (Fig. 7) was also discovered in the upper level. The coins date the upper level to the Byzantine and Umayyad periods.
A hearth (L107; length 0.24 m, width 0.2, depth 0.14 m) was exposed on the lower occupation level below the stone clusters. It contained burnt hamra, a few small kurkar stones (4 × 6 cm) and several pottery sherds dating from the Persian period until the Early Roman period (fourth century BCE – first century CE).
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