Excavations carried out in the 1950s at Horbat Betar, exposed settlement remains, comprising subterranean complexes, dating to the Chalcolithic period (Dothan 1959; Baumgarten and Eldar 1984 [Fig. 1: A-1162, approximate location]; Rosen and Eldar 1984 [Fig. 1: A-1145]). Two excavations carried out in 2017, revealed that the Chalcolithic site was more extensive than had previously been assumed (Abadi-Reiss 2017 [Fig. 1: A-7961]; Permit No. A-8102).
The current excavation (50 sq m) exposed two superimposed thin, grayish clay occupation layers, containing many finds dated to the Chalcolithic Ghassulian period, including pottery, flint, stone and metal items, as well as organic remains. The occupation layers extended beyond the excavation limits. The rich finds, uncovered in a small area, provide evidence for home industry activities, including flint knapping and copper smelting, attesting to the intensity of the occupation at Horbat Betar. The archaeological remains, comprising two occupation layers, were overlain by a 1.3 m thick soil accumulation layer.
 
The Excavation
Earlier layer. A shallow pit, that was dug into the loess soil and lined with mud-brick debris, was uncovered (L107, L109; thickness c. 0.1 m; Figs. 2, 3). A thin layer of grayish sediment, comprising organic material and much flint debitage, as well as a few pottery sherds, was found in the pit.
 
Later layer. The later level was exposed overlying a soil accumulation (thickness 0.25–0.40 m) that covered over the earlier level. Two refuse pits (L102, L113), and very thin ash layers (laminae; L103, L108, L112), reflecting sub-phases, were attributed to this layer (Fig. 2: Section 1–1; Fig. 4). It was almost impossible to separate the ashy layers in the excavation, and they are mainly visible in the section. In the later level, remains of crucibles, small furnaces and several copper ingots were found, as well as a concentration of flint knapping debris (L108; Fig. 5), and carbonized wheat kernels. These thin layers probably reflect brief periods when this area of the settlement was used for flint-knapping and copper-smelting.
 
The Finds
Pottery. The pottery comprised 313 indicative sherds (Table 1), and 758 body sherds. The assemblage comprised small V-shaped bowls, with straight or slightly concave walls, and rounded rims, mostly red-painted (Fig. 6:1–3); bowls and basins of different sizes exhibiting various rims, including a flat-rimmed bowl (Fig. 6:4), a basin with an everted rim (Fig. 6:5), a basin with a thickened rim (Fig. 6:6), and a basin with a wavy rim (Fig. 6:7); a few thumb-impressed handles (Fig. 6:8), characteristic at Horbat Betar (Dothan 1959); various-sized holemouth jars (Fig. 6:9, 10); a pithos with a thumb-impressed rim (Fig. 6:11); low-necked jars with out-flaring, sometimes wavy, rims (Fig. 6:12); and churns with elongated curved necks (Fig. 6:13; the churns mostly coming from Pits 102 and 113). The pottery was manufactured of an orangish clay, apart from three sherds (two small bowls and one churn) that were made of whitish clay. Most of the vessels were manufactured of clay containing dark- and light-colored gravel grits, apart from the small bowls that were made of well-levigated clay, and the crucibles and furnaces, where organic grits were added to their clay. About 88 of the 313 indicative sherds had red-painted decoration, this decoration most frequently appearing on the small bowls. The small bowls constituted c. 50% of the vessels in the assemblage.
 
Table 1. Pottery finds and pottery crucibles
Vessel
Qty
Percentage
V-shaped small bowls
155
49.5
Bowl
75
24
Krater
11
3.5
Pithos
1
0.3
Holemouth
16
5.1
Jar
9
2.9
Churn
7
2.2
Handle
3
1
Closed vessel
31
9.9
Crucibles
5
1.6
Total
313
100
 
Flint assemblage. The flint assemblage is homogenous, reflecting the presence of a flint-knapping industry at the time of the Chalcolithic settlement. The raw material for the flint items was mostly stream pebbles in various shades of brown (average length 8 cm). The assemblage (Table 2) mainly included flake industry debitage (33.7%), and a few blade blanks—primary blades, blades and bladelets (5.7%). A similar ratio was also discerned in the cores, which were used mainly to manufacture flakes (Table 3). The core assemblage included 48 cores (3.1%), most of which were core flakes (75%; Fig. 7:4, 5). These ratios indicate that there was a flake industry at the site. The blades in the assemblage were mostly produced from cores from which both flakes and blades were made, and they came from cores with a single knapping platform. The cores were made mainly of stream pebbles in shades of brown, and most of them had a light-colored lime cortex (thickness 2 mm). The assemblage included 31 tools (2.0%; Tables 2, 4), most of which were ad hoc tools and scrapers. Among the scrapers, the most common type was a fan scraper (Fig. 7:1); a relatively large number of awls (Fig. 7:2), a bifacial tool (Fig. 7:3) and a sickle blade were also found.
The occupation layer exposed in the excavation, exhibited a flint knapping area, and in situ flint objects (L108). The restoration and processing of the flint assemblage identified flint items exhibiting three flint-knapping stages. One stage included a core at the beginning of the flint-knapping process, from which four flakes were flaked off (Fig. 8); another stage comprised 12 flakes and a core platform (Fig. 9). The restoration process thus revealed that the flint knapping took place at the site; the small number of tools at the site, showed that the finished tools were taken elsewhere.
 
Table 2. Breakdown of items in flint assemblage
Object
Qty
Percentage
Primary flake
158
10.3
Primary blade
24
1.6
Flake
359
23.4
Blade
37
2.4
Bladelet
26
1.7
Reworking of core
13
0.8
Core platform
6
0.4
Ridge
5
0.3
Overpass
4
0.3
Flake
483
31.5
Chunk
340
22.2
Total debris
1455
94.9
Core
48
3.1
Tool
31
2.0
Total
1534
100
 
Table 3. Breakdown of cores
Object
Qty
Percentage
Flake
36
75.0
Blade
1
2.1
Flake/blade
9
18.7
Unknown
2
4.2
Total
48
100
 
Table 4. Breakdown of tools
Object
Qty
Percentage
Scraper
7
22.6
Side scraper
3
9.7
Notches/denticulate
4
12.9
Awl
5
16.1
Complex tool
2
6.5
Backed tool
8
25.8
Sickle blade
1
3.2
Axe
1
3.2
Total
31
100
 
Metallurgical finds. A large quantity of copper slag, five pottery crucible fragments and many fragments of small clay furnaces were found in the excavation. The crucibles characterize the complex are small bowls, most of which are thick-walled (12 mm) and some of which have an everted rim, made of dark-colored clay with organic grits (Fig. 10). The furnace fragments are similar to the crucible fragments, but have a thicker wall (20 mm) and may have been shattered after use. Copper traces were extant on all the crucible and furnace rims. A preliminary pXRF analysis of the copper samples revealed that the slag contained copper but no arsenic-antimony or lead. Slag of similar composition appears in the Ghassulian culture copper artifacts intended mainly for the production of work tools, rather than for cultic artifacts. According to E. Ben-Yosef (pers. comm.), these types of crucible and furnace were an ad hoc vessels used for copper smelting, mainly in small installations in domestic contexts, and it was discarded after use.
 
Additional finds. A few stone objects retrieved in the excavation include a stone weight (Fig. 11:1), a limestone bracelet fragment (Fig. 11:2), stone mallets, worked limestones and some limestone flakes. Other finds include biconical clay spindle whorl (diam. c. 4 cm, height c. 3.5 cm; Fig. 11:3), a few animal bones, and numerous charcoal pieces mixed with charred wheat grains (Fig. 12).
 
The 1950s excavations conducted at Horbat Betar uncovered a small part (c. 1 dunam) of an underground and ground-level settlement site from the Chalcolithic period (Dothan 1959). Dothan estimated that the site may have covered c. 30 dunams. Since his excavations, the neighborhood grew up, and houses were built. The current excavation, together with the two adjacent excavations carried out in 2017 (see above), consolidate Dothan’s understanding that the Chalcolithic Ghassulian-period settlement at Horbat Betar extended over a large area.