# Tell Banat

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{{Short description|Syrian archaeological site}}
{{distinguish|Tal Banat}}
{{Infobox ancient site
|name          = Tell Banat
|native_name   = {{langx|ar|تل بنات}}
|alternate_name= 
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|map_type      = Syria
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|map_size      = 250
|location      = [Syria](/source/Syria)
|region        = [Aleppo Governorate](/source/Aleppo_Governorate)
|coordinates   = {{Coord|36|27|0|N|38|16|59.88|E|display=title,inline}}
|type          = [Tell](/source/Tell_(archaeology))
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}}

'''Tell Banat''' is an archaeological site in northern [Syria](/source/Syria) and is considered the world's oldest [war memorial](/source/war_memorial).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/archaeologists-propose-4500-year-old-burial-mound-was-worlds-first-military-memorial-180977981/|title=Archaeologists Propose 4,500-Year-Old Burial Mound Was World's First Military Memorial|date=21 June 2021|website=Smithsonian Magazine}}</ref>

==History==
Tell Banat was constructed by an ancient [Mesopotamian](/source/Mesopotamian) civilization during the [3rd millennium BC](/source/3rd_millennium_BC), in the early [Bronze Age](/source/Bronze_Age).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/may/28/site-in-syria-could-be-worlds-oldest-war-memorial-study-finds|title=Site in Syria could be world's oldest war memorial, study finds|date=27 May 2021|website=The Guardian}}</ref> The burial findings at the site are considered unique within [Upper Mesopotamia](/source/Upper_Mesopotamia). Excavations uncovered two primary mounds—one located within the small settlement of Tal Banat, and the other, known as Tell Banat North, situated outside the settlement boundaries.<ref name="auto"/>

Tell Banat North came to be referred to as "The White Monument" due to its coating of [lime](/source/Lime_(material))-rich mud and [gypsum](/source/gypsum). Beneath this outer layer, archaeologists discovered an older and distinctively corrugated construction, unlike any previously found in the region.<ref name="auto"/>

== Research ==
Excavations at the site were halted when the area was submerged following the construction of the [Tishrin Dam](/source/Tishrin_Dam) on the [Euphrates](/source/Euphrates) River in the 1990s.<ref>{{cite web |last=Powell |first=Eric A. |title=Mesopotamian War Memorial |website=Archaeology Magazine |publisher=Archaeological Institute of America |date=November–December 2021 |url=https://archaeology.org/issues/november-december-2021/digs-discoveries/digs-syria-tell-banat-memorial/ |access-date=2025-05-27 }}</ref> Unfortunately, part of the excavated material was later lost when [IS](/source/Islamic_State) destroyed a storage facility housing some of the finds.

The [University of Toronto](/source/University_of_Toronto), which conducted excavations at the site between 1988 and 1999 as part of the [Tall Bazi](/source/Tall_Bazi) project, reopened its research based on surviving materials dated to around 2450 BC.<ref name="auto">{{cite journal |last1=Porter |first1=Anne |last2=McClellan |first2=Thomas |last3=Wilhelm |first3=Susanne |last4=Weber |first4=Jill |last5=Baldwin |first5=Alexandra |last6=Colley |first6=Jean |last7=Enriquez |first7=Brittany |last8=Jahrles |first8=Meagan |last9=Lanois |first9=Bridget |last10=Malinov |first10=Vladislav |last11=Ragavan |first11=Sumedh |last12=Robins |first12=Alexandra |last13=Safi |first13=Zarhuna |title="Their corpses will reach the base of heaven": a third-millennium BC war memorial in northern Mesopotamia? |journal=Cambridge University Press |year=2021 |volume=95 |issue=382 |pages=900–918 |doi=10.15184/aqy.2021.58 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Archaeology-stub}}

Category:Tells (archaeology)
Category:Upper Mesopotamia
Category:Archaeological sites in Aleppo Governorate

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Tell Banat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tell_Banat) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tell_Banat?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.