Tell (archaeology)

View of Tell Barri (northeastern Syria ) from the west View of the Citadel of Aleppo (northern Syria ), built on top of a tell occupied since at least the third millennium BC A tell , or tel (from , tall , , ) is a type of archaeological mound created by human occupation and abandonment of a geographical site over many centuries. A classic tell looks like a low, truncated cone with a flat top and sloping sides. The term is mainly used of sites in the Middle East , where it often forms part of the local place name.

Ancient settlement mound Tell Barri , northeastern Syria , from the west The Citadel of Aleppo , northern Syria , on top of a tell occupied since at least the third millennium BC Tel Megiddo ( Armageddon ) In archaeology , a tell or tel (derived from , tall , 'mound' or 'small hill'), is an artificial mound formed from the accumulated remains of mudbricks and other refuse of generations of people living on the same site for hundreds or thousands of years. A classic tell looks like a low, truncated cone with sloping sides and can be up to 30 metres high. Tells are most commonly associated with the archaeology of the ancient Near East , but they are also found elsewhere, such as Central Asia , Eastern Europe , West Africa and Greece . Within the Near East, they are concentrated in less arid regions, including Upper Mesopotamia , the Southern Levant , Anatolia and Iran , which had more continuous settlement. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.) Kirkpatrick, E. Archaeological Landscapes of the Near East . "Tell formation processes as indicated from geoarchaeological and geochemical investigations at Xeropolis, Euboea, Greece". In Halstead, Paul (ed.). Neolithic Society in Greece .

Ancient settlement mound Tell Barri , northeastern Syria , from the west; this is 32 meters (105 feet) high, and its base covers 37 hectares (91 acres) Tel Be'er Sheva , Beersheva , Israel In archaeology , a tell or tel (borrowed into English from , tall , 'mound' or 'small hill'), is an artificial topographical feature, a species of mound consisting of the accumulated and stratified debris of a succession of consecutive settlements at the same site, the refuse of generations of people who built and inhabited them, and of natural sediment. Tells are most commonly associated with the ancient Near East , but they are also found elsewhere, such as Southern and parts of Central Europe , from Greece and Bulgaria to Hungary and Spain and in North Africa . Within the Near East, they are concentrated in less arid regions, including Upper Mesopotamia , the Southern Levant , Anatolia and Iran , which had more continuous settlement. Eurasian tells date to the Neolithic , the Chalcolithic, and the Bronze and Iron Ages. In the Southern Levant the time of the tells ended with the conquest by Alexander the Great , which ushered in the Hellenistic period with its own, different settlement-building patterns. Many tells across the Near East continue to be occupied and used today. Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land . Blanco-González & Kienlin 2020 , ch. 1, see map. In Blanco-González & Kienlin 2020 , ch. 14. There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).

Ancient settlement mound Tell Barri , northeastern Syria , from the west; this is 32 meters (105 feet) high, and its base covers 37 hectares (91 acres) Tel Be'er Sheva , Beersheva , Israel In archaeology , a tell (from Arabic : تَلّ , tall , 'mound' or 'small hill') is an artificial topographical feature, a mound consisting of the accumulated and stratified debris of a succession of consecutive settlements at the same site, the refuse of generations of people who built and inhabited them and natural sediment. Tells are most commonly associated with the ancient Near East but are also found elsewhere, such as in Southern and parts of Central Europe , from Greece and Bulgaria to Hungary and Spain , and in North Africa . Within the Near East they are concentrated in less arid regions, including Upper Mesopotamia , the Southern Levant , Anatolia and Iran , which had more continuous settlement. Eurasian tells date to the Neolithic , the Chalcolithic and the Bronze and Iron Ages. In the Southern Levant the time of the tells ended with the conquest by Alexander the Great , which ushered in the Hellenistic period with its own, different settlement-building patterns. Many tells across the Near East continue to be occupied and used today. There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).