Location
Netiv Ha-‘Asara is a site in Israel where a salvage excavation was conducted in Moshav Netiv Ha-‘Asara prior to construction work. The site is located on two adjacent kurkar hills to the west of Nahal Shiqma .
History
Settlement remains were uncovered that date from the Iron Age, Persian period, and Byzantine period. The site was abandoned in a violent event during the Persian period, but it was repopulated during the Byzantine period after centuries of being buried by dune sand .
Excavation
Five excavation areas (A–F) were opened on the two hills, yielding significant findings. Area A revealed two settlement strata on the eastern slope of the southern hill. Area B, also on the southern hill’s eastern slope, contained remains of a building with four rooms. Area C at the top of the southern hill revealed an Iron Age and a Persian period settlement, as well as Byzantine period tombs. Area D contained four vaulted tombs on the northern hill’s eastern slope. Area F had a refuse pit that yielded Roman-period glass, along with remains from the Byzantine and Persian periods .
Findings
The excavation yielded pottery, glassware, stone tools, and metal objects from various periods. The pottery dates from the Iron Age II and III, Persian, and Byzantine periods. Glass finds were from the Roman and Byzantine periods, discovered in Area F and Area D respectively. Stone tools were generally used for household food preparation. Metal finds, primarily from the Persian period, included 11 arrowheads. Evidence of violent events during the Persian period was indicated by burnt layers, bronze arrowheads, and pottery left in situ .
Sources
Hadashot Arkheologiyot Excavations and Surveys in Israel Volume 135 Year 2023 Netiv Ha-‘Asara
Yael Abadi-Reiss