In January – February 2018, a trial excavation was conducted on the western fringes of H orbat Ma’aravim (Permit No. A-8180; map ref. 173306–479/588300–720; Fig. 1), prior to the installation of a second gas pipeline. The excavation, undertaken on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority and funded by the Energy Infrastructures Company, was directed by D. Eisenberg-Degen (field photography) and A. Levy-Hevroni, with the assistance of Y. Alamor (administration), M. Kahan and Y. Shmidov (surveying and drafting), V. Lifshitz (drone photography), A. Fraiberg (digital documentation), I. Azoulay (plans), T. Winter (glass), C. Hersch (glass drawing), C. Amit (studio photography), I. Reznitsky (metallurgical laboratory), Y. Spez and R. Kool (numismatics), Y. Abadi-Reiss (stone finds and scientific guidance), A. Golani (scientific guidance), T. Abulafia, Y. Haimi, H. Mamalya, O. Shmueli, F. Sonntag and S. Talis of the IAA Southern District, as well as the volunteer S. Zamir.
Eisenberg-Degen et al. (Sun,) studied this question.