In the Upper Plateau we have concentrated in its central section (UP 57-81) which comprises sloping as well as level areas.
Densities were low, as in the majority of the UP, in the range of 50-100 sherds per square. Higher densities, between 100 and 200 sherds and occasionally over 200 sherds per square were encountered in squares at the southeastern side of the covered area (UP57.04-06 and UP58.05-07), as well as in its central part (UP70.2-6, UP77.6-12 and 15-19, UP79.06-07) and its northeastern side (UP80.1-5 and UP81.1-9). The natural slope may have contributed to the higher concentration at the southeastern edge of the area, in other words some of the sherds are likely to have rolled here from higher grounds. The rest of the areas with higher concentration of sherds are relatively level, and most likely represent the nuclei of ancient installations and sources of dispersal of artifacts since antiquity. What is still unclear is whether we are dealing with a nucleated site or with a group of small, adjacent sites. Relevant to this issue is the presence of scattered architectural members, primarily ashlar blocks, in Special Tract 4, which proves the existence here of a solid installation.
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Equally suggestive is the recovery of plaster fragments in the vicinity (in squares UP70.03 and 70.04). Given the rarity of architectural fragments in the upper plateau, the discovery of these in connection with the presence of relatively abundant sherds and tiles in the surrounding fields will help us to interpret the provenance and scatter of ceramics in the broader area.
