Location | Iraq |
---|---|
Region | Dhi Qar Governorate |
Coordinates | 31°14′35″N 45°53′06″E / 31.243°N 45.885°E |
Type | settlement |
Length | 200 metres (660 ft) |
Height | 5 metres (16 ft) |
History | |
Founded | 6500-5400 BCE |
Abandoned | before 3000 BCE |
Periods | Ubaid |
Site notes | |
Excavation dates | 1976, 1978, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989 |
Archaeologists | A. Parrot. J.-L. Huot |
Tell el-'Oueili (also Awayli; Mesopotamian Arabic: تل العويلي, romanized: Təll əl-ʿOwēli) is a tell, or ancient settlement mound, located in Dhi Qar Governorate, southern Iraq. The site was excavated between 1976 and 1989 by French archaeologists under the direction of Jean-Louis Huot. The excavations have revealed occupation layers predating those of Eridu, making Tell el-'Oueili the earliest known human settlement in Lower Mesopotamia.