The trench (depth 5 m; Figs. 2, 3). An examination of the trench’s section revealed five main strata of soil (1–5); only one stratum (2) contained archaeological remains. Stratum 1 (thickness c. 1 m), the uppermost stratum, consisted of dark brown clay. Stratum 2 (thickness 0.5–1.0 m) consisted of light brown soil mixed with numerous pottery sherds from the Late Chalcolithic period, flint tools and animal bones. Stratum 3 (max. thickness 1.5 m) included light brown-yellowish hamra soil, into which a shaft-like feature (width 0.5 m, depth c. 3.1 m) had been dug; this may be an intrusion from Stratum 2, as a few pottery fragments from the Chalcolithic period were found in the shaft. Stratum 4 (thickness c. 1 m) consisted of another level of light brown clay. Stratum 5 (max. thickness 0.8 m), the lowest of the strata, included light brown-yellowish hamra, like Stratum 3.

 

Excavation squares (D4 and E4; Figs. 4, 5). Two squares were excavated to a maximum depth of 1.5 m below the surface. An occupation level was revealed in the southern part of the squares—a layer of clay (L103–L106; Fig. 6) mixed with pottery sherds, stone tools and flint items dated to the Late Chalcolithic period, as well as a fauna assemblage (Shadiel, below). On the surface (L100–L102) was an accumulation of clay mixed with Chalcolithic-period pottery sherds and a small quantity of finds from later periods.

The Chalcolithic-period pottery assemblage numbered 94 indicative fragments, including 21 rims. These included V-shaped bowls (Fig. 7:1, 2); a bowl with a thickened rim (Fig. 7:3); two Incense-burners (Fig. 7:4, 5); a cornet (Fig. 7:6); kraters of various types (Fig. 7:7–9), one of which is large and decorated with a rope design below the rim (Fig. 7:9); a holemouth jar (Fig. 7:10); other jars, including one with a flaring rim (Fig. 7:11), a pinched handle (Fig. 7:12) and a perforated lug handle (Fig. 7:13); and churns (Fig. 7:14, 15), which are particularly typical of the Late Chalcolithic period.

The stone-tool assemblage included three river pebbles bearing signs of use, two rims of basalt bowls (Fig. 8:1, 2)—one of which (Fig. 8:1) was found in modern debris south of the excavation area and is decorated on the interior with a geometric pattern—and a decorated pedestal of a basalt fenestrated pedestal bowl (Fig. 8:3).

A total of 27 flint items were found in the excavation. They are particularly well-preserved, and most are made of brown-gray flint, which in some specimens is transparent, apparently of the Mishash formation. Most of the assemblage is made up of debitage: flakes, blades and a bladelet made of transparent flint, typical of the Ghassulian bladelet industry. The assemblage also includes five cores and five tools. All the cores are for the result of flake production; they were apparently part of an ad hoc flake industry. The tools included retouched and denticulated flakes and a burin. No indicative or formal tools typical of a specific culture or period were found, although the makeup of the assemblage conforms with what we know of flint assemblages from the Chalcolithic period.

 

Archaeozoology

Tehila Shadiel

 

Eighteen animal bone fragments were found in the excavation (Table 1); among those identified was one sheep/goat (Capra/Ovis), one cattle bone (Bos tarus) and one gazelle bone (Gazella gazelle). The 15 other bone fragments were not identified to the level of species, but the medium body size indicates that most apparently were either sheep or goats. The breakdown of skeletal parts in the assemblage (Table 2; Stiner 2002) shows that most of the bone fragments belonged to long bones. The age of the cattle and of the gazelle was determined by tooth attrition: the cattle was an adult, whereas the gazelle was young (1–2 years of age; Grant 1982). The rest of the bones were not diagnostic, and therefore the age of the rest of the animals in the assemblage is unknown. No signs of predation, cutting or burning were observed on the bones.

 

Table 1. Breakdown of bones by species and locus

Species

L102

L103

L106

Total

Sheep/goat

-

1

-

1 (5.5%)

Cattle

-

1

-

1 (5.5%)

Gazelle

-

-

1

1 (5.5%)

Mediums-size animals

1

8

6

15 (83%)

Total

1 (5.5%)

10 (55.5%)

7 (39%)

18 (~100%)

 

Table 2. Breakdown of skeletal parts by species

Skeletal part

Cattle

Sheep/goat

Gazelle

Medium-size animals

Total

Head

1

1

1

2

5

Limb bones

-

-

-

8

8

Ribs

-

-

-

5

5

Total

1

1

1

15

18

 

The finds retrieved from the excavation indicate human activity at the site during the Late Chalcolithic period (the Ghassulian culture). These finds are associated with the Chalcolithic-period site whose remains have been uncovered in recent years in the city of Yehud (Itach et al. 2019:191–193). Considering the location of the finds from the current excavation, the Chalcolithic-period site extended farther to the southwest. This excavation corroborates other excavations, some from recent years, which show significant activity during the Chalcolithic period along the Nahal Ayalon basin (Itach 2018: Fig. 1).