In April 2006 the Institute has started a salvage excavation in the site of Nesher quarry. The quarry is located by the city of Ramle, near Tel-Aviv. The excavation are headed by the archaeologists Shlomo Kol-Yakov and Vladimir Avrutis. It is one of the main on-going salvage excavations in Israel. The main remains at the site are purification pools, wine and olive oil industries, water cisterns, hiding complexes, churches and necropolis. All dated from the Hasmonaean period to the Early Muslim period. Some middle Paleolithic, Chalcolithic and Early Bronze remains have been found as well.