In February–August 2022, a salvage excavation was conducted in Area D, southwest of Tel Yavne (Permit No. A-8999; map ref. 175616/641606; Fig. 1). The excavation, on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority and funded by the Israel Land Authority, was directed by P. Betzer and D. Varga, with the assistance of B. Yuzefovsky and G. Shlimovich (area supervising), S. Amit, R. Koren, K. Shoham and S. Vogel (area supervisor assistants), Z. Lotan and T. Uriel (administration), A. Peretz and D. Gazit (field photography), Y. Shmidov, M. Kahn, M. Kunin and N. Leitner (surveying and drafting), S. Tarkhnova (pottery), Y. Nagar (physical anthropology), L. Perry-Gal (archaeozoology), C. Elimelech (analytical laboratory) and O. Ackerman, N. Weiler and J. Marcus (geomorphology).
Yuzefovsky et al. (Mon,) studied this question.