Tell
A tell or tel, (from Hebrew: תֵּל,[1] also tel or tell from Arabic: تلّ, tall)[2] 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.[1]
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[edit] Archaeology
A tell is a hill created by different civilizations living and rebuilding in the same spot. Over time, the level rises, forming a mound. [3] Excavating a tell reveals buried structures such as government or military buildings, religious shrines and homes, located at different depths depending on their date of use. They often overlap, horizontally, vertically, or both. Archaeologists excavate tell sites to interpret architecture, purpose, and date of occupation. Since excavating a tell is a destructive process, physicists and geophysicists have developed non-destructive methods of mapping tell sites.[4]
[edit] Tel Aviv
The name of the Israeli city Tel Aviv is a phrase derived from the Bible (Ezekiel 3:15), meaning (in Hebrew): "Tell of spring".
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Archaeology of Palestine, Art of Excavating a Palestinian Mound, William Foxwell Albright, 1960, p. 16
- ^ Kirkpatrick, E. M. (1983). Chambers 20th Century Dictionary (New ed.). Edinburgh: W & R Chambers Ltd. p. 1330. ISBN 0550102345.
- ^ "Amateur Archaeologists Get the Dirt on the Past", New York Times
- ^ Data analysis of tell sites
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