40 KHIRBET IBREICA: A RURAL SETTLEMENT IN THE SOUTHEASTERN SHARON PLAIN Itamar Taxel and Amir Feldstein In the autumn of 2002, a salvage excavation was carried out at the site of Khirbet Ibreica after construction activity along Highway No. 6 (Cross Israel Highway) had caused damage to the western margin of the site. The excavation was conducted under the auspices of the Sonia and Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University with the financial backing of Derech Eretz Highways (1997) Ltd. and Dan Rolider Ltd. I. Taxel and A. Feldstein directed the excavation (Licence No. B-255/2002) with the assistance of G. Avivi. Photographs of the area and of the finds were taken by P. Shrago. Plans were drawn by D. Porotsky and prepared for publication by Y. Smertenko. Pottery was restored by R. Pelta and drawn by A. Speshilov. Others involved were N. Halperin (cleaning of metals and coins), Dr. A. Kindler, Z. Gur and N. Amitai- Preiss (numismatics), M. Sadeh (archaeozoology) and A. Shavit (IIA). We wish to thank them all. INTRODUCTION Khirbet Ibreica (Map Ref. 1464/1788) (Fig. 1) is located in the eastern trough ( marzevah) of the southern Sharon Plain, approximately 1.5 km northwest of Qalkilia and 2.5 km northeast of Kefar Sava. The area is covered by heavy and fertile alluvial soil and drained by tributaries of Na úal Alexander (in the north) and Naúal Yarqon (in the south) (Ravikovich 1992:175). The site is located at 54 m a.s.l., on a low hamra hill rising 6 m above its surroundings where the hamra hills meet the alluvium of the eastern trough. Khirbet Ibreica was briefly mentioned by Guérin, who passed by the site on his way from Tira to Qalkilia and described it as a ruined village (Guérin 1875:355-356). It was also referred to by Conder and Kitchener of the Palestine Expedition Fund (1882:219; Sheet XI). Recently, the site was surveyed by Roll and Ayalon (1989:169, 196) and later it was included in the survey of the map of Kefar Sava (Beit- Arieh and Ayalon, Forthcoming). The surveyors report that the site extends over at least 4 ha Fig. 1: General map of the area around Khirbet Ibreica.