Britannica Sources used in this answer

Why are Troy and Ur examples of tell sites?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Archaeology Archaeologists mapping their finds at Pachacamac, Peru, an Indigenous town occupied from approximately 200 bce to 1532 ce, when it was sacked by conquistadors under the command of Francisco Pizarro.

In archaeology, a tell (or mound) is a raised site marking the location of an ancient city. Troy and Ur are considered tell sites because they are composed of stratified layers of historical debris accumulated over centuries of continuous or repeated occupation.1

In antiquity, cities like these were frequently constructed using mud-based materials, such as adobe or sun-dried bricks. These structures were prone to crumbling due to environmental exposure or destruction from natural and man-made causes. Rather than clearing away the ruins entirely, inhabitants typically leveled the debris and built new structures directly on top of the old foundations.1

This process of repeated rebuilding created a vertical accumulation of material, resulting in the characteristic low, truncated cone shape of a tell. Consequently, these sites are stratified, with the deepest layers representing the earliest periods of the city's history and the upper layers representing more recent phases. Excavations at sites like Ur and Troy allow archaeologists to peel back these layers to study the long-term development of urbanism and civilization.123