In order to test the hypothesis that pits had been used for grain storage, the authors conducted experiments at Tell Halif (Lahav), about 12 miles north of Beer-Sheva. There they dug a series of test pits, similar in every respect, except size, to those made by the Israelites. As in the drawings, test pits included the bell-shape style and the two varieties of the cylindrical style; some were lined with ash or rocks and others were left unlined.

An empty cylindrical pit, with stones and measuring about feet wide by 3 feet deep, appears above left. The pits were then filled with grain to about ¾ capacity (above right), sealed with clay and covered with rocks. An inserted thermometer monitored the temperature of the grain, a means of detecting decay caused by bacterial action.