Re: How did the top soil on an Israeli Tel get there?

There are three primary ways for top soil to get there.
(1) It drifts down from the air.  Wind picks up soil from elsewhere and
drops it on the Tel.  In desert areas where soil is picked up by the wind 
more easily, this is more likely to happen.
(2)The mud bricks of the previous dwellings fall apart.  When these
dwelling crumble completely they add to the soil.
(3)The builders of the new dwellings bring in top soil to give their new
dwellings a better foundation more easily, this is more likely to happen.


> An Israeli Tel may have many diff. cities inside them.  How did the 
layers
> of dirt between the cities get there?  Was it natural or man placed?  
What
> areas did it (the dirt) come from?  Why aren't other areas surounding the
> Tels buried (like the Standing Stones)?  Why don't the Tels just erode
> away?  Who put the last layer of top soil on them?  What is the time span
between civilizations typically?    

It will take me longer than a week to find the detailed answers to the
followup questions.  There are several arch-history texts that talk around
these questions, but none have the direct answer to them.

Email me if you wish to dialogue about this more.

Kermit
kermit@polaris.net