Tell el-'Oueili

Tell el-'Oueili
Tell el-'Oueili is located in Iraq
Tell el-'Oueili
Shown within Iraq
LocationIraq
RegionDhi Qar Governorate
Coordinates31°14′35″N 45°53′06″E / 31.243°N 45.885°E / 31.243; 45.885
Typesettlement
Length200 metres (660 ft)
Height5 metres (16 ft)
History
Founded6500-5400 BCE
Abandonedbefore 3000 BCE
PeriodsUbaid
Site notes
Excavation dates1976, 1978, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989
ArchaeologistsA. 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.