Erosion provided the fertile soil from the mountain forest to the edge of the sea. The Mount Carmel site the Finnish team came to document had once been a Byzantine local Villa Rustica. It included the ruin of a mansion with its grounds. It is located in the ancient village of Rakit, on a hill ca. 7kms from the natural harbor of Atlit.
Natural harbors are rare on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean.
They served as a focal point for settlements and foreign commerce during the past 3,500 years, in which major sea trade has been conducted in this area. From the village of Rakit one has eye contact with Atlit. Prior to electronic communication, eye contact was one of the significant factors in deciding on the location of a settlement. At one time, the distance for eye contact could measure as much as 200 kms. Today, with the air in the Mediterranean area hazy and smoke-filled, one is lucky to be able to see at a distance of 10kms.