On the north side of the mound, above the spring and overlooking the valley with beautiful views of Mt Hermon, is the area (45m x 60m) of the High Place . Here the excavation team unearthed and reconstructed the remains of a unique Israelite ritual place. It was in use since the times of King Jeroboam son of Nebat (930 BC), rebuilt by Jeroboam son of Joash (8th C BC), and reused during the Hellenistic period (3rd C BC) until the end of the Roman period.
Behind it, along the wall, is a stone bench - on which the elders of the city sat. This custom is referred in several Biblical passages. Example (Ruth 4 1-2): "Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there...And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down".
This photo shows the center of the village from ground level, with the 4th century AD synagogue on the left. On the right side are the Byzantine ruins of the village in the center, which occupied the same area as of the early Roman houses (from the time of Jesus).
