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TELL*
Arabic word (Hebrew, tel) meaning an artificial mound composed of many layers of occupational debris, representing the ruins of successive cities, roughly like layers of a cake. The discerning of the strata, or building levels, is one of the biggest challenges of the field archaeologist. The levels are dated primarily by the pottery found in them.
Usually tells bear Arabic names, which sometimes have interesting or amusing meanings. Tell el Ful (Gibeah), the hometown of King Saul, means “the mound of the beans.” Tell Beit Mirsim translates into “the mound of the house of the fast camel driver.” Other modern names preserve the identity of ancient sites; for example, Tell Taanak is biblical Taanach; Tell Jezer is biblical Gezer.
There are numerous references to tells in the Bible, although in English tell may appear as “mound,” “heap,” or “heap of ruins.” The Lord commanded Israel that a city which practiced abominable idolatry should be burned and “be a heap forever” (Dt 13:16). Joshua 11:13 states that Israel burned none of the cities that stood on mounds, except Hazor. Joshua burned Ai and made it “a heap of ruins for ever” (Jos 8:28). In a prophecy against the Ammonites, Jeremiah said that Rabbah “shall become a desolate mound” (Jer 49:2).
See also Archaeology and the Bible; Pottery.