On the LikeLihOOd Of AgricuLture And A threshing fLOOr At Or ‘AqivA suembikyA frumin A 2000 excavation at Or ‘Aqiva unearthed gray or dark brown-gray soil, identified as agricultural soil, and a level hamra surface, probably a threshing floor; the excavator dated the hamra surface to the early Byzantine period (see Nagorsky 2017). 1 Since threshing floors are traditionally situated in the immediate vicinity of fields and were used for both cereal grains and seeds of pulses (e.g., Whittaker 2003:381), these finds seem to provide direct evidence for the cultivation of crops. However, previous archeological evidence of agricultural activity in the area is not conclusive. Six Byzantine- period flour mills near Naḥal Tanninim (Alon 2003:263) point to intensive flour production in this area, but the grains could have been brought to the mills from afar. Similarly, food remains found in a fourth–sixth centuries AD refuse pit in Caesarea (Area TN 02, L003; Ramsay 2010), suggesting the important role of wheat in the local diet, might be the result of imported products. Moreover, the local soil in the Or ‘Aqiva area is sandy, belonging to an ancient dune, as indicated by probes in the eastern part of the excavation. Thus, the present note addresses the following questions: How could such sandy soil be fertile enough to support the growing of crops in the Byzantine period? What crops could grow in this area? Geobotanical studies of the coastal plain conducted in 1938–1943 identified approximately 300 plant species. In the area between Ḥadera and Zikhron Ya‘aqov, which is formed mainly by sandy soils and is covered for the most part by unstable sand dunes, the vegetation was dominated by long-rooted shrubs, such as Sand Wormwood 2 (Artemisia monosperma; see Map of Palestine Soils by F. Menchikovsky in Elazari-Volcani 1930:8; Eig 1939: esp. 256–264; Zohary 1982:17, 338). Zohary noted that the depleted and shifting soils of this area are not suitable for cultivation. However, not far from Or ‘Aqiva, to its northwest and southeast, there are fertile soils that could have been transferred to Or ‘Aqiva so as to allow crop cultivation. Moreover, the geobotanical analysis of these fertile soils revealed no wild, local plant associations, but rather various species that are ecologically adapted to disturbed habitats. Since this analysis was carried out prior to the start of Israeli intensive agriculture activity, it was suggested by Zohary (1982:106, 115) that the numerous weeds were the result of the agricultural exploitation of the area over many centuries. This hypothesis is supported by several isolated remnants of fruit trees—fig (Ficus caricai), almond (Amygdalus communis), pomegranate (Punica granatum) and grape (Vitis vinifera)— suggesting that there were orchards and vineyards in this area. Hadashot Arkheologiyot— Excavations and Surveys in Israel 129