This paper presents the results of two recent excavations conducted at Nahal Betzet II and Ard el Samra, in the Akko Plain. Both excavations revealed stratigraphical sequences dated to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B, Pottery Neolithic and Early Chalcolithic periods. Significant is the discovery of the Pottery Neolithic occupations attributed to the Yarmukian culture which were unknown in this region prior to the excavations.

This is the final report of salvage excavations conducted during 2005 and 2007 at the Chalcolithic (Ghassulian) site of Horbat 'Illit B, in the Haelah Valley. We present the stratigraphy and the architectural remains of the site, including a description of one of the rare flint workshops of the Chalcolithic period found in the southern Levant. Comprehensive analyses of the flint and pottery assemblages, the groundstones, metal objects and faunal remains are also given here. In the conclusions we discuss the role of specialized flint knapping of microliths and sickle blades, the latter in the context of agricultural activities, as well as the chronological and regional attributes of Horbat 'Illit B in the framework of the Chalcolithic period.

The site of Hamadiya (Khirbet esh-Soda) is in the Beth Shean Valley, which is part of the central Jordan Valley. It is near Kibbutz Hamadiya and ca. 10 km south of the well-known Neolithic site of Munhata. The site is located ca. 200 m below sea level, adjacent to the Nahal Harod riverbed, not far from its confluence with the Jordan River.1 Like Hamadiya, several other Neolithic sites in the central Jordan
Valley are also situated adjacent to or on one or another of the western tributaries of the Jordan. An analogous geographical pattern can be seen in the locations of the late prehistoric sites of Gesher, Tel Ali, Munhata, Sha'ar Hagolan and Tel Tsaf (Garfinkel and Miller 2002: 10–11). These sites are thus seated in deltas where streams flow into the Jordan Valley. The traditional explanation for this pattern of settlement is attributed to its advantages for agriculture and the cultivation of land (Prausnitz 1959; Bar-Yosef 1992). In addition, river valleys also provided the most convenient transportation routes between different regions. Therefore, those rather large sites were situated at crossroads between the north–south route created by the Jordan Valley and the east–west routes created by its tributaries.

Recent excavations at Moẓa conducted by the Israel Antiquities
Authority revealed impressive remains of the Roman period, which
consisted of a prosperous Middle Roman settlement with impressive architectural
buildings and installations, a colonnaded street, and a well-planned drainage system. During the 2019–2020 season, a unique terracotta artifact (hereafter, TCA) was retrieved from the Middle Roman stratum at the site. The artifact’s uniqueness and partial preservation pose a challenge in deciphering its complete form and function.