Long-continued settlement in roughly the same location leads over time to the accumulation of waste products, such as dung and ash, and the remains of generations of decaying mud, rammed earthRammed earth, brick and stone buildings. These accumulations give rise to large mounds that are normally calledTell tells. Many of the key examples come from the Middle East (e.g. Megiddo, Tell Brak, Be’er Sheva, Erbil, Kültepe, and Nisa).