[2] An archaeological expedition by the Israel Antiquities Authority led by Joseph Naveh (1928-2011) of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem found two Iron Age II multi-chamber burial caves.

[2] The ships lead scholars to believe that the chambers were reused by Israelite refugees fleeing the Chaldaean armies in the sixth century BCE, probably Levites.

[8] A number of hewn subterranean installations, including columbaria, olive presses, water cisterns, quarries, a stable and hideaways are attributed to the Hellenistic and Roman periods.

[10] The excavations at the site were renewed in 2005 under the direction of the Oren Gutfeld, on behalf of the Institute of Archaeology of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, with funding from a Mormon non-profit foundation.

Archaeological excavations revealed a planned settlement with common hawsh-type dwellings around central courtyards and separated by narrow alleyways, indicating a segmentary social system.

However, Beit Loya offers a good case study for highlighting the value of oral sources and local knowledge for tracing the people and lifeways of the Ottoman countryside by incorporating living history and memory into a wider archaeological project.

Marāh Bayt Lay, the vale south of the site, was cultivated with field crops like wheat and barley during winter, and sorghum, lentils and vetch during summer.