Three excavation areas were opened (A–C; Figs. 2, 3) in rocky terrain containing multiple fissures and karstic cavities; the site was previously filled with modern buildings that were demolished prior to the excavation. The excavation uncovered a rock-hewn reservoir, ancient quarries, a rock-hewn cave, abundant Late Iron Age and Persian pottery, as well as multiple fragments of second-century BCE Rhodian amphorae, possibly from a storeroom that was not preserved. The remains were fragmentary and poorly preserved due to modern construction work.

Late Second Temple burial caves were discovered in the past c. 200 m away from the current excavation (Kloner 2001:100*–101*, Sites 312, 313, 318). Approximately 180 m east of the excavation area, water cisterns, rock-cuttings, a rock-hewn cave and Late Hellenistic and Early Roman architectural remains were discovered (Landes-Nagar 2009). About 100 m southeast of the current excavation lies the antiquities site of Nebi ‘Akasha, where a Mamluk mosque and an Ayyubid burial structure are located (Lieberman 2018).

 
Area A (Figs. 4, 5). A rectangular rock-hewn reservoir (6.3 × 8.9 m, max. depth 2.6 m) was discovered in the northern part of the excavation area. The reservoir was accessed via steps (1.1 × 2.8 m) cut in its eastern wall. The sides of the reservoir and the flight of steps were coated with buff plaster containing white grits (thickness 1–3 cm); roughly six layers of plaster were identified on the northern wall. In recent times, the reservoir was converted into a cesspit by building a concrete wall in its center (W132). A rectangular rock-hewn pit (L105; 1.6 × 2.2 m, depth 1.3 m) found near the reservoir’s northern wall was probably a filtration pit; it was connected to the reservoir by a channel, which was found blocked with stones and plaster. To the west and south of the reservoir, deep channels were cut in the rock (L108, L111; width 0.6–0.8 m, max. depth 1.4 m), probably in an aborted attempt to enlarge the reservoir. Traces of a shallow quarry were found around the reservoir. The rock-cut channels, the quarry area and the reservoir yielded abundant Late Iron Age and Persian pottery (seventh–sixth centuries BCE), mostly jars, holemouth jars and bowls. Pottery from the second century BCE was also found, including Rhodian amphora fragments. A water cistern, whose walls were coated with concrete was found to the south of the reservoir (L133; 8.9 × 15.2 m, max. depth 3.5 m). In light of its recent use and due to safety considerations, the cistern was not excavated.
 
Area B (see Fig. 3). A large concentration of potsherds was found in an area measuring 4.5 × 5.5 m (L120). The pottery was found in an accumulation of dark brown soil with small and medium-sized fieldstones (about 1 m thick), overlain by modern debris and the bedding of an asphalt lot that covered the excavation area. Beneath the accumulation, the bedrock showed no signs of hewing, apart from an elliptical cupmark (0.15 × 0.25 m, depth 0.1 m) found near the center of the area. In the eastern part of the area, near the bedrock, two large stones found above a thin layer of soil may have been part of a wall.
Nearly all the potsherds in the accumulation are Rhodian amphora fragments; the smaller fragments were discovered at the top of the accumulation, whereas the larger fragments were found at the bottom. The finds include 42 stamped Rhodian amphorae handles. Preliminary analysis shows that two of the stamps date from 143–139 BCE, while the rest date from 135–132 BCE, and they all come from the islands of Rhodes and Kos. The pottery from the accumulation also includes a few fragments of bowls, cooking pots and jugs dating from the second half of the second century BCE. The accumulation also yielded a coin of Antiochus VII (138–137 BCE). The two large stones discovered in the area may have belonged to a storeroom where Rhodian amphorae were kept, most of whose stones were dismantled and removed when the storeroom fell into disuse.
To the north of the pottery concentration lay a shallow quarry (L102; excavated area 4 × 5 m, max. depth 1.2 m), from which small stones were extracted (0.2–0.3 × 0.3–0.4 m). The quarry area yielded a few Late Hellenistic potsherds.
 
Area C (Figs. 7, 8). A semicircular cave found hewn into the rock (L127; 3.0 × 4.8 m) was reached via a passage (width 1.2 m) containing a flight of four steps that led eastward to a rock-cut opening (width 0.8 m). The passage may continue westward, beyond the excavation limits. The cave originally had a vaulted roof, but it was destroyed by later, shallow quarrying work (L125, L126). The passage and the cave floor yielded a few pottery sherds dated to the Late Hellenistic period, including fragments of Rhodian amphorae. The cave may have been used as a storeroom.
 
The remains discovered in the excavation are fragmentary and difficult to interpret due to their poorly preserved state. The abundant Late Iron Age and Persian pottery in Area A attests to significant activity during these periods in the area or nearby, although the finds provide insufficient dating evidence for the reservoir. It is difficult to establish a stratigraphic sequence between the finds in Area B, but the large concentration of potsherds probably predates Quarry 102. The rock-hewn cave in Area C probably also predates the shallow quarry around it.
The Rhodian amphorae discovered in the excavation and the Antiochus VII coin may have some connection with Antiochus VII’s invasion of Judea in the fourth year of his reign, which culminated in the siege of Jerusalem in approximately 132 BCE (Diodorus Siculus, Library of History 33:1–5; Josephus, War 1:61–62; Finkielsztejn, forthcoming:321).