First reconciliation
Jericho was originally a popular campsite for hunter-gatherers of Natouf culture in BC 10000. It was not until 9600 BC that the last ice age or the cold drought caused by the new fairy wood ended that the area began to be inhabited and permanently settled all the year round. Tell es-Sultan (Sultan Hill) is located 2 kilometers (65,438+0.2 miles) north of modern Jericho, and it is the earliest permanent settlement. This is a pre-pottery Neolithic settlement. It is located on Ein as-Sultan spring (later called Elisha spring) and supplies it with water. By around 9400 BC, settlements had grown to include more than 70 houses. These round houses are 5 meters (16 feet) in diameter and made of clay and straw.
Archaeological evidence shows that the city of Jericho in 8000 BC was surrounded by a stone wall with a height of 3.6 meters and a width of 1.8 meters.
Jericho wall
Archaeological evidence shows that by 8000 BC, the site had grown to 40,000 square meters (430,000 square feet), surrounded by a stone wall with a height of 3.6 meters (1 1.8 feet) and a bottom width of 1.8 meters (5.9 feet). Inside the wall is a stone tower, 8.5 meters (28 feet) high and 9 meters (30 feet) wide at the bottom. The tower has a 22-step internal staircase. The only tower older than this one was found in the Syrian city of Tyre caramel. It is believed that this wall is used to protect residential areas from floods. This tower is used for holding ceremonies. This shows that there are social organizations in the town. Some scholars believe that this tower is used to encourage people to participate in public life style. Population estimates range from 300 to 3000. At this time, the residents domesticated wheat, barley and beans. The invention of irrigation technology is likely to provide enough land for planting these crops. They supplement their diet by hunting wild animals.
Second reconciliation
Centuries later, the first settlement was abandoned. Around 7000 BC, the invaders established a second settlement to absorb the aborigines into their culture. This is also a pre-pottery Neolithic settlement. The new settlements have expanded the range of domesticated plants. There is evidence that sheep may have been domesticated at this time. This building is a linear structure made of mud bricks. Each building consists of several rooms around the central courtyard. The room has a lime terrazzo floor and the courtyard has a clay floor. Other advances include arrow-shaped flints, sickle blades, carving knives (used as chisels), scrapers and axes. Grinding stones, hammer stones and axes made of emeralds were also found. Plates and bowls are carved from soft limestone. The biggest difference of this culture is that they preserved the skull of the deceased by putting plaster on it and painting human features on it. These skulls were kept at home and the rest of the bodies were buried. This settlement lasted until around 6000 BC. Then there is almost no evidence that Jericho was occupied for at least 1000 years.
The Bronze Age and the Decline of Jericho
Since then, Jericho has regularly established new settlements. These settlements are still Neolithic, but there is evidence that they produce pottery. At the end of 4th century BC, it became a walled town again. There is evidence that these walls have been rebuilt many times. The largest of these settlements was built by the Amorites in 2600 BC. Around 2300 BC, the occupation of the site was interrupted again. It was taken over by Canaanites in BC 1900, and reached the most prominent position from BC 1700 to BC 1550. This is due to the rise of nobles, who used a chariot called Mariano in the northern state of Mitannit. Their rise has led to greater urbanization in the surrounding areas, including Jericho. At this time, there are two double walls made of mud bricks around the city wall. The outer wall is located on a stone foundation. Although their size is impressive, they are not stable. The city of Jericho in the Bronze Age was violently destroyed by earthquakes in BC 1573 and BC16th century. The charred wood found at the scene shows that the remains of the city have been burned. Buried food supplies also indicate that it was not captured after the siege. It was not until the end of 10 BC or the early 9th century BC that it was rebuilt that it was inhabited.
The war between Israel and Jericho
According to the Bible, Jericho was the first city attacked by Israelis after crossing the Jordan River into Canaan in about 1400 BC. The walls of Jericho were destroyed by the Israelites, who carried the ark around the city for seven days. On the seventh day, Joshua ordered his people to blow the horn made of horns and shout to the wall until it collapsed. The excavation of this site revealed a collapsed wall network, which can be traced back to the end of 17 BC or the beginning of 16 BC. The most likely cause of the collapse is an earthquake. The descriptions of subsequent earthquake damage (A.D. 1267 and A.D. 1927) are consistent with the descriptions of collapsed walls in the Bible. In each description, the cliff above the Jordan River falls into the river and a dam is built. It also reveals that Jericho was uninhabited from the late 5th century BC1century BC 10 century BC. Non-biblical scholars now consider biblical stories as fables. This story was written in 722 BC, long after the incident, in Israel. Biblical scholars point out that the destruction of the city wall 175 years ago proves that the story in the Bible is true. They said that the only mistake was the date in the Bible, and the earthquake was that God rewarded the Israelites for obeying his orders. According to the Bible, Jericho was abandoned until Hill, a Bethel, settled there in the 9th century BC.