Area AAU (Figure 1) is located on the northern part of the lower hill, immediately south of the Road no. 6 tunnel portals. The area was opened due to its proximity to the Late Iron Age (seventh century BCE) domestic units uncovered during the salvage excavations of the 1990s, which have been identified as belonging to a deportee community. The parallel excavation area, Area BB, is situated to the north of these units. The domestic remains yielded significant finds, most notably two cuneiform tablets, which are central to understanding settlement activity at the site during the later phases of the Iron Age. The opening of Area AAU was thus intended to further explore this part of the site, integrating earlier discoveries with new stratigraphic data.
The area preserves clear evidence of agricultural activity during the Iron Age, most prominently a rock-hewn olive oil press carved into a smoothed bedrock surface. To the east of the press, a rock-cut trench was identified, which in its final phase was filled with refuse that also extended over the press and its immediate surroundings. This refuse deposit contained dozens of complete vessels (Figure 2), alongside stone vessels and a range of smaller finds, including a unique stamp seal made of mother-of-pearl.
Future studies will focus on the assemblage of vessels in order to reconstruct the practices embedded in them, including their roles in the preparation and consumption of food. Through this analysis, we aim to trace aspects of daily life and the social practices of the community that inhabited the nearby domestic units.