A wide rock-cutting was discovered in the kurkar rock which was exposed beneath the layer of alluvium. The rock-cutting was U-shaped (width 3.3 m; Fig. 1); its bottom was fairly straight (L111), and it was flanked on the east and west by two vertical rock walls. Worn, non-diagnostic pottery sherds, and a coin from Ephesus, dating to the reign of Valerian (253–260 CE) were found at the bottom of the rock-cutting (L111). North and south of the rock-cutting was light soil devoid of finds; it was unclear if this was a natural accumulation of soil, or a deliberate fill that was intended to block the rock-cutting. It is possible that this rock-cutting was a quarry for building stones that were used in the construction on the tel. Another possibility is that the rock-cutting in the kurkar was a hewn passage in an ancient road that was designed to facilitate movement along the road. A branch of the ancient Via Maris passes through the area (Ronen and Olami 1983: Sites 1, 2), and apparently it linked the surrounding sites. The coin that was discovered at the bottom of the rock-cutting indicates the time of the quarrying, although this should be treated with due caution.