During August 2009, a survey was performed in the Beit Hanina quarter of Jerusalem (License No. S-131/2009; map ref. 22050–100/63700–50), prior to paving the western continuation of Highway 20. The survey, undertaken on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority and underwritten by the Moriah Company, was conducted by Z. ‘Adawi, B. Touri and L. Barda (GPS).
The survey (Fig. 1) was carried out along fairly moderate slopes on two hills, separated by a tributary of Nahal Atarot, c. 1 km northwest of Tell el-Ful (Kloner 2001: Site 79). Part of the area was not surveyed because it is covered with soil, construction debris and vegetation.
The region was surveyed within the framework of the Survey of Israel in the 1970s and three sites were documented: a rock-hewn winepress, a burial cave and a large quarry
(Kloner 2001: Sites 25–27). A survey was performed in recent years (
HA-ESI 121) and salvage excavations were conducted mainly on the northern hill where twenty-three quarries, a limekiln and rural road were excavated (
HA-ESI 119,
HA-ESI 120,
HA-ESI 120). Two other quarries were excavated and documented on the southern hill (
HA-ESI 119).
Sixteen sites that could not be dated were documented: five building stone quarries (Sites 1, 3–6; Fig. 2), a rock-hewn channel (Site 2), four farming terrace walls (Sites 7, 10, 11, 16; Fig. 3), a stone clearance heap (Site 12; Fig. 4), an enclosure wall (Site 13, Fig. 5), two watchman’s huts (Sites 8, 9), a cistern (Site 14; Fig. 6) and a wall built of small and medium fieldstones (Site 15; Fig. 7).
A meager amount of potsherds dating to Iron Age II (a single sherd), Late Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods was found in the survey area, most of which was not associated with the surveyed sites.
Kloner A. 2001. Survey of Jerusalem, the Northeastern Sector. Jerusalem.