Horvat Eleq

Horvat Eleq is located in the southeastern area of Ramat HaNadiv, at the southern edge of Mount Carmel at an altitude of 141 meters above sea level. It is a multi-layered site with a prolonged and almost continuous human activity from the Middle Paleolithic period until the Byzantine period and then the Ottoman period. Horvat Eleq dominates the route of two historic roads – one extends from the Israeli coastal plain eastward along Nahal Taninim to the Jezreel Valley, and the other extends northward along the Israeli coastal plain and bypasses Mount Carmel to the north. Both roads were paved in the early Roman period as part of the imperial Roman road network. Nearby within 10 km are the cities of Dor, Caesarea and their ports, Tel Taninim and Tel Mevorakh to the west and Tel Burga to the southeast.

Remains of a Roman bath

History

Section of the water aqueduct

Horvat Eleq has almost a continuous history of settlement starting at the Paleolithic period until the Ottoman period. Throughout history the settlement has benefited from its location next to an abundant and constant water source and overlooking two historical roads. Archaeological excavations at the site began in 1989 by Yizhar Hirschfeld and continued almost continuously until 2007. The main remains discovered and studied in the excavations are mainly associated with the end of the Persian period where the remains of a fortified wall are visible and the Hellenistic and Roman periods, as they are the major visible remains today. In the early Roman period, the site reaches its peak in terms of construction and settlement.

After the First Jewish–Roman War the site was abandoned, although no layers of destruction were discovered, only a small number of sling stones and arrowheads were found, that cannot indicate a siege or a battle that took place there. In the late Ottoman period and the British Mandatory period, there are remains of the village Am al-Elaq, which covers about two dunams at the top of the hill, including the mansion house known as 'Beit-Huri' to the north of it. After World War I, Jewish pioneers settled on lands purchased by JKA and Edmond James de Rothschild, but by 1923 the site was abandoned.

Archeology

Walls and settlement ruins

Between the years 1989 and 2007, archaeological excavations were conducted continuously at the site. The findings at the site are mainly categorized to five time periods that begin at the end of the Persian period, from which the remains of a fortified wall can be seen, to the end of the Ottoman period, when a Jewish settlement was abandoned. The second layer discovered represents the early Hellenistic period to which are attributed the remains of a water pool next to the spring and about a dozen walls. To the north and south, architectural complexes from this period were uncovered and identified as part of a rural settlement. The small ceramic findings include local pottery and imported tools originating from the Aegean Sea and Greece, dating back to the days of the Ptolemaic and Seleucid Empire rule in the Land of Israel, the 2nd–3rd centuries B.C. The absence of coins from the Hasmonean period led to the assessment that the site was destroyed during the conquest of Alexander Jannaeus and remained in abandoned until the rule of Herod.

The third layer represents the ancient Roman period identified by Hirschfeld as the site's peak. During the excavations, a perimeter wall was exposed along its entire length to the north, east and south. The wall was built of hewn dolomite stones and it was estimated that its height was about 8 m. The area of the corner towers is about 5 square meters, excluding the south-eastern tower which its dimensions were 8 × 9 m. The length of the intermediate towers in the centers of the side walls were about 5 m. A passage exposed in the southern wall, about 3 m wide was called "The water gate", as it leads towards the spring. The findings in the agricultural area at the foot of the complex surrounded by the wall include – an oil press, columbarium, rock-cut pool, bathhouse, a spring and an aqueduct. These findings lead to the assessment that the complex was built in the days of King Herod 37- 4 BC and that several changes were made in 1st century CE, apparently in the days of Agrippa I 41–44 CE. The abandonment of the site was linked to the events of the First Jewish-Roman War 66–70 CE. The ceramic finds from this period include coins and pottery, some imported, glassware and various architectural items. 

In the fourth layer, remains from the late Roman period and Byzantine period were identified mainly in the water facilities: the aqueduct, tunnels and the pools which continued to be used during these periods. In addition, two tombs from the Roman period were discovered on the edge of the site to the west. The main findings from these periods are a large hoard of coins which was discovered next to the spring and included over 2,100 coins from the 4th–7th centuries CE. These findings are consistent with the testimony of the traveler from Bordeaux from the first half of the 4th century about the spring of fertility that flows from Ain Sinai, about three miles from the city of Caesarea.

The fifth layer, reveals remains from the late Ottoman period and British mandate that include the village of Am al-Eleq, which covers about two dunams at the top of the hill, and a mansion house known as 'Beit-Huri' to the north of it, which were built in the 19th century. After World War I Jewish pioneers settled on lands purchased by JKA and Edmond James de Rothschild, but by 1923 the site was abandoned.