A Tel is fundamental to archaeology in the ancient Near East. The spelling of Tel or Tall is determined by its location. In Arab countries the term is spelled Tal or Tall (Arabic “mound or hill” from the Babylonian tillu, which meant “ruin heap.”234a; i.e., Tall el-Ḥammâm in Jordan. See Fig. 13). In Israel Tel or Tell (Heb.) is used derieved from the Hebrew (i.e., Tel Dan). A Tell is an unnatural mound created by the repeated destruction and rebuilding of ancient cities on the same site from the
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