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A salvage excavation at Gat-Govrin, located in the southern coastal plain, exposed an archaeological layer subdivided into two sedimentological levels. At the base of the archaeological layer were pits—some shallow and wide, others deep and bell-shaped. Ten pits were excavated; all contained potsherds, stone vessels and flint artifacts. The homogeneous pottery assemblage, manufactured from local material, is characteristic of the Chalcolithic repertoire. The flint artifacts include Canaanean blades, some retouched and with gloss. It appears that the Gat-Govrin site was a seasonal settlement, occupied by small groups toward the end of the Chalcolithic period (last quarter of the fourth millennium BCE). The finding of ‘Canaanean’ artifacts within a late Chalcolithic assemblage may indicate continuity from the Chalcolithic to the Early Bronze Age cultures in this area.

The excavation at Qiryat Ata, Area O, was undertaken in the southern, peripheral zone of the site. Three primary settlement episodes were revealed: Phases 3 and 2 date to EB IB and consist of two buildings and associated surfaces, while Phase 1 dates to EB II and mainly consists of a large fortification wall. These three phases correlate with the three main occupation strata (III–I) that have been identified at the site. The finds in Area O include two large and homogenous pottery assemblages, dating to EB IB and EB II; four cylinder-seal impressions; flints, representing a relatively ‘clean’ EB IB–EB II assemblage, and a few Neolithic tools; and freshwater mussels that might have been brought to the site for food. These finds enlarge the database of the Early Bronze Age ceramic assemblage at Qiryat Ata, and help to better and more accurately define the nature of EB IB and EB II pottery assemblages in northern Israel.

Two subterranean features were uncovered at Horbat Qastra, situated on the southern outskirts of Haifa: Cave 1070, probably a reservoir, including two adjoining chambers (possibly a ritual bath, miqveh); and Cave 1071, consisting of two chambers, probably intended for dwelling. The caves yielded many restorable glass vessels, as well as pottery, dating from the fourth to seventh/eight centuries CE. The glass finds are characterized by their homogeneous fabric, workmanship and forms, indicating the existence of a local production center. Charred pieces of wood and a few carbonized seeds were found in Cave 1071, belonging to five species that still grow near the site. The late Byzantine faunal assemblage from Horbat Qastra is typical of this period, attesting that the animal economy of the site was based on herding, with little or no hunting. The molluscs encountered at the site originate from the Carmel Mountains, the Mediterranean Sea and the Nile River. The composition of the floral, faunal and malacological remains reflect the inhabitants’ known adeptness in fully exploiting the natural resources located in the site’s environs.

Salvage excavations were carried out in the southernmost sector of an Early Islamic settlement within the industrial zone of Eilat. Three separate, rectilinear building units were uncovered, situated in close proximity to one another, each comprising rooms and courtyards. This Early Islamic village was part of a wider phenomenon of settlements that flourished on the desert periphery, in the shadow of the ancient port city of Ayla. After its abandonment, in the later part of the eighth century, the site was briefly reused, evidently in the ninth century; this use is marked by pits, some of which contained burials.

The site is located at the foot of the Hebron Hills, one kilometer south of Tell Beit Mirsim. Two areas were excavated (Areas A and B). In Area A, a row of three rooms, possibly associated with a Roman bathhouse, was exposed. The artifacts recovered from the fills and the floors included tubuli, ceramic tiles and segments of mosaic panels, as well as fragments of pottery and glass vessels, and three coins. These finds date mostly to the Late Roman and early Byzantine periods (end of third–fifth centuries CE). In Area B, the remains of a plastered installation, partly built into a cave, were uncovered; they dated to the Chalcolithic period and Middle Bronze Age II. A large winepress was erected above the installation in the Early Roman period. A small structure, perhaps a watch-tower, was built atop the winepress, most likely in the Byzantine period. The entrance to a Byzantine-period pottery kiln (fifth–seventh centuries) was exposed south of the Early Roman winepress. East of the Early Roman winepress and the pottery kiln, some walls—possibly agricultural terraces—were exposed. Among the finds were pottery vessels, stone vessels—notably a fragment of a measuring cup, glass sherds and animal bones.

A salvage excavation, conducted c. 250 m east of Ma‘asiyahu Junction in Ramla, uncovered the probable infrastructure of an ancient road, dating from the Early Islamic period. In most places, this foundation lies over a layer of dark, sandy hamra soil. Interspersed among the stones of the roadbed were potsherds, objects made of steatite, bone and bronze, and glass vessels. The faunal remains include a large number of horse bones. This roadbed was probably part of a secondary route, perhaps a branch of the Jaffa–Jerusalem highway.

The excavation, conducted 500 m east of the White Mosque in Ramla, exposed architectural remains dated to the Abbasid and Mamluk periods. Pottery vessels from the Ottoman period were also found, but no contemporary architectural remains. Finds from the Abbasid period include pottery—among them a jug with an Arabic inscription—and stone and glass vessels. A fountain and a pool from the Mamluk period were uncovered. In the center of the fountain was a sunken basin in the form of an eight-pointed star. Eight vertical clay pipes embedded in debesh were revealed outside the eight points of the star, and another pipeline entered the base of the fountain and supplied it with water. Pottery and glass vessels from the Abbasid and Mamluk periods were recovered in the fill excavated north and south of the base of the fountain, indicating that it was probably built during the Mamluk period. The Mamluk-period finds included pottery vessels, coins and glass vessels.