A "tell" is an unexcavated city-mound awaiting investigation in the Near East
The even slopes and flat summit differentiate a tell from a natural hill
Early settlers tended to build a city on a low hill (for defense), next to a dependable water source, adjacent to fertile fields and at a natural crossroads
The major occupation periods of a tell can usually be determined by examining potsherds from the surface of the tell
Job used potsherds (broken pottery) - "he took for himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself" (Job 2:8)
Modern archaeological excavation in Palestine is normally carried out in small areas divided by vertical partitions, or "balks"
The “balks” are left undug (at least temporarily)
Each layer is given its own number as a "locus"
Each layer is given its own number as a "locus"
A small handpick is the most common tool in a modern excavation
A handpick is used to trim a balk
A handpick is often used in conjunction with a mason's trowel
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