A mosaic floor was uncovered, consisting of a square surrounding a medallion, in which a seven-line Greek inscription was preserved. It is suggested that the mosaic adorned the entrance to a monastery or a church that existed at the site during the Byzantine period.

Following a reexamination of the Greek inscription on a mosaic pavement uncovered at Kibbutz Hazor, near Ashdod (see ‘Atiqot 51), a new reading is offered. The inscription, which must have adorned the entrance of a winepress attached to a monastery, states the date the winepress was commemorated. The date points to the use of a non-local era; this use might hint at the abbot’s wish to symbolically mark the border between himself and his foundation, and the catholic bishop of Ascalon. 

The site is located approximately 4 km west of Tel Ashdod, about 50 m from the shoreline. Two areas were excavated: in Area A, installations identified as winepresses, as well as occupation levels, were found; in Area B, a mud-brick complex was uncovered. One tomb (T1) was discovered, and traces indicating the presence of other tombs were discerned north of the site. In the building and in the vicinity of the winepresses numerous pottery sherds were found, of locally-produced vessels, as well as Cypriot, Mycenean and Egyptian imports. Other finds included an Egyptian scarab, spindle whorls and loomweights, metal fishhooks, needles for mending fishing nets, and stone and lead weights for the nets. Based on the architectural evidence and the finds, this is a single-period site that existed for a short period of time during the later part of the thirteenth century BCE. The winepresses were set up together with the building to form an industrial-administrative complex that was primarily engaged in the production and marketing of wine. The site was abandoned at the end of this period for unknown reasons; there is no evidence that it came to a violent end.

The excavation took place on a kurkar hill overlooking the sea. Four squares were opened on the southern slope, and settlement deposits of the Late Bronze Age II were revealed, without any architectural elements. A ceramic figurine was found. The vessels that were found at the site seem to indicate a single-period LB II settlement. The fabrics point to a number of sources, local (Canaanite) and foreign (Cypriot, Mycenaean and possibly Egyptian). This international character is clearly in keeping with the general picture of the period.