Fortresses and settlements on ancient dumps?

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-02 02:33

The topic of ancient quarries, dumps, waste heaps does not leave these pages. Another selection of places with possible contenders for these names.

Settlement Otrar (Farab). Otrar is one of the largest cities in Central Asia, now a settlement in the Otrar district of the South Kazakhstan region. It is located in the lower reaches of the Arys River at its confluence with the Syrdarya, 10 km west of the Timur railway station, next to the modern village of Talapty. The height of the main mound from the bottom is up to 18 m, the remains of the city ditch have been preserved. This settlement is one of the oldest in Central Asia. In the 15th century, the city was rebuilt. In January 1405, Tamerlane died at the beginning of his campaign against China in Otrar. In the period 1465 to 1718 - one of the cities of the Kazakh Khanate. Was among the destroyed in 1723-1727. Dzhungars of cities. At the beginning of the 19th century, it was finally abandoned.

Map link

If you look at satellite images from a high altitude, you can see that the city was located on the coast of the ancient Caspian Sea. Why did I decide that it was a dump? If we assume that this is an artificial embankment, then why is it irregular, not round? The ancient builders would certainly have given the embankment a strict roundness. It is possible that they cut the hill, making a flat surface. But where does a single hill come from on this plain?

View from the ground

By the way, the buildings themselves are covered with soil. This is what was discovered after the excavations

Of course, we can talk about sandstorms.

Next location: Citadel in Aleppo

Of course, it can be argued that this hill was specially poured for the construction of a fortress on it.

But it is dangerous to build on a freshly covered hill. Loose soil can slide down a slope

Partially destroyed walls after the hostilities in this region Or maybe this hill appeared after underground workings, the construction of an underground city: Palmyra Dungeons

More details: ***

Quote Erbil is a tell in the historic center of Erbil, Iraq.

The citadel covers an area of 102 thousand square meters. The earliest evidence of the existence of a fortified settlement on this mound dates back to the 5th millennium BC. e. The military importance of the citadel, which played an important role from the neo-Assyrian period to the middle of the 13th century, fell after the Mongol conquest.

City-forming hill.

Nisa, Nasa or Nesa is an ancient city, the ruins of which are located near the village of Bagir, 18 km west of Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan. It consists of two settlements - New Nisa, a Parthian city in the valley, and Old Nisa, a royal fortress on a hill.

Historians admit that one of the settlements was built on a hill. The collapsed walls give an even greater dumping effect.

Map link

Perhaps such a deplorable state of the walls is due to the raw brick.

It can be seen that the fortress was still on a hill, on an embankment

Artifacts found during the excavation at Nisa. Antique style in Central Asia!

Head of a Parthian soldier from Nisa. Reconstruction. It turns out they were the Scythians! More details

Hills in England. Hill at Glastonbury.

Who and when gave him such terror?

Another hill in England and clearly man-made: Silbury Hill (eng. Silbury Hill)

40-meter artificial (chalk) mound near Avebury in Wiltshire, UK.

Near the hill there is a castle mound with a preserved moat

Circles, drawings appear in the fields nearby

If you think of this drawing as a 3D drawing, you can see a hill. Any information about him?

There are other mounds in these places.

Another hill:

Hampshire Dan Cley Hill

At one time they were digging something. Results unknown

Maybe these underground inhabitants are trying to convey something?

I had a post about these hills. here

Malvern hills

As an addition: a hill in Georgia

The most surprising thing is that archaeologists do not call them mounds. These are all mounds, pilakalnis, hills, fortified settlements. And not all of them were originally intended for fortifications.