Blurb:

Strategically positioned near the eastern fringe of the Mādabā Plains, the imposing 18-acre (74 dunams) mound of Tall Jalūl (2312.1254) rises 19 m above the surrounding tableland. Jalūl dominates the landscape in all directions and is an easily distinguishable landmark on the eastern horizon when viewed from sites to the west, such as Tall Ḥisbān and Mādabā. Notable among the small number of true tells in central Jordan, Jalūl comprises an oblong shaped (300 x 240 m) mound with a distinctive, flat acropolis on its southwestern quadrant, which currently functions as a cemetery for the Beni Sakhr tribe. Apart from a section along the mound’s eastern edge, a steep escarpment frames Jalūl’s entire perimeter, clearly indicating that strong fortifications once encircled the site. A very large (35 x 25 m), oval-shaped, 6 m deep depression in the southeastern sector, supplemented by an adjacent but smaller concavity containing a stone-lined cistern, betrays the existence of two ancient water systems. An extensive, extramural settlement spreads out along Jalūl’s southern base. The mound exhibits occupational evidence from the Early Bronze Age to the Hellenistic period, with scattered Roman, Byzantine, and Islamic-period sherds. However, Jalūl’s extramural settlement primarily dates from the Late Byzantine to the Ottoman period, with a few sporadic Iron–Persian sherds.