In
Area H, on the summit of the tell, to the north of the tourist shelter, on a
saddle between Areas G and F, burnt remains of a collapsed
building were clearly visible on the surface suffering erosion.
The sounding was limited to a single square (BeII19), where a Byzantine mid-6th century AD house (L.707) was discovered. An interesting set of materials (pottery, glasses and objects), including many fragmentary �Gaza Ware� amphoras, was retrieved. In year 2000, the exploration was extended surveying several stone structures visible on the surface, clearly contemporary with the house previously discovered. Six houses were identified, bordered by open spaces and refuse pits. A bronze lock of a wooden box was found on the surface. The Byzantine settlement thus seems to have been a small rural village resting upon the ruins of the preceding cities, in an area roughly corresponding to the northern and eastern parts of the tell[59].