Expert: Ralph Salier - 4/29/2006

Question
Do you know any other English ward synonym to "tumulus" which i found to be  the translation to an archaelogic hill.  

Answer
Hi Yehuda,

The word Tumulus and Tell are the same.  These archaeological hills are created by the use of the same place over time by successive civilizations and over time the debris, buildings and other materials of their cultures builds up into a hill.  This often occurs due to the building materials, and fires which occured during ancient times from wars, and simple accidents.  These building materials, usually mud brick and stone generates a lot of debris which then covers the site.

Tells occur all over the world and are very important in finding and defining archaeological sites.