During May 2003, a salvage excavation was conducted in two lots (242, 255) in Neighborhood 36 of Tel Sheva‘ (Permit No. A-3819*; map ref. NIG 1840–60/5720–30; OIG 1340–60/0720–30). Previous excavations in the neighborhood included more than forty lots in 1993 (Permit No. A-2062) and eleven lots in 2003 (
HA-ESI 120). The excavation, carried out on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority and funded by the Israel Land Administration, was directed by Y. Haimi (photography), with the assistance of H. Lavi (administration), V. Essman and V. Pirsky (surveying and drafting) and I. Lidski (drawing).
One excavation square was opened in each lot. Part of a building that consisted of four walls was exposed in Lot 242 (Fig. 1). The main wall (W102; length 7.25 m) was preserved three courses high. Three walls that formed rooms abutted it. A tabun (L18) that belonged to a floor (L7) was in the corner of Walls 102 and 103. Wall 101, which abutted W102, separated between two rooms. A floor in the southern room (L16) was overlaid with numerous potsherds. A few potsherds were found on the floor of the northern room (L15). Wall 105, which was west of W102, also separated between two rooms, a northern (L12) and a southern one (L13), which yielded only a meager amount of potsherds.
A wall (W104; length 5.5 m, preserved height 0.57 m; Fig. 2) was exposed in Lot 255. The pottery vessels found on the floor (L9) that abutted the wall included bowls (Fig. 3:1–5) and jars (Fig. 3:6–9) that dated to the end of the Byzantine period. A pit (L11; diam. 1.4 m) uncovered below W104 and Floor L9 contained a large amount of ceramics that dated to the Chalcolithic period, including a handle of a holemouth jar (Fig. 3:11) and the base of a cornet (Fig. 3:12), as well as a fragment of a saqiye jar (Fig. 3:10). The eastern part of the pit was destroyed during the course of development work.